Historic Lenox Lounge to Shutter at the End of the Year

Harlem's legendary Lenox Lounge will serve its last drink on December 31, after 63 years in business. Black Enterprise learns that Richie Notar, one of the managing partners in the Nobu Restaurants group, will be taking over the space. He has already filed a liquor license application for a new project doing business under the name "Notar Jazz Club."

Restaurateur Alvin Reed has been running Lenox Lounge since 1988, but he decided not to renew the lease this year after the landlord doubled his rent. Reed, who owns the Lenox Lounge trademark, notes: "If they want to use Lenox Lounge, they will have to negotiate with me. I brought it back and I want to see it stay there. I want to keep the legacy alive." The restaurateur plans to take the iconic Lenox Lounge sign with him. Jeremiah Moss hears that Notar's big name partner Robert De Niro is also involved with the new project.

Lenox Lounge officially went on the market last winter, and several restaurateurs — including Marcus Samuelsson — were said to be eyeing the space. In its early years, Lenox Lounge hosted artists like Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane. No word yet on what concept Notar has planned for the space, or when it will reopen.
· Last Call at Lenox Lounge, Harlem's Famed Jazz Club, Due to Rising Rents [BE]
· Lenox Lounge: Vanishing? [JVNY]
· All Coverage of Lenox Lounge [~ENY~]
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