16 Classic NYC Spots That Closed Forever In 2016

Another year, another handful of gay bars, record stores and book shops bite the dust. But hey, on the bright side, there's plenty of brand new luxury condos!

1. Other Music, 15 E 4th St in Greenwich Village

Matthew Perpetua

Other Music wasn't just one of New York City's all-time best record stores – it was one of the best in the entire United States. The small shop was impeccably curated and was steadily ahead of the curve in indie and electronic music for 21 years. The store's staff was particularly good at digging up obscurities from the past, and its "Then" section will be particularly missed.

2. BookCourt, 163 Court St in Cobble Hill

Book Court / Via instagram.com

BookCourt was one of New York City’s finest independent bookstores, and a center for literary culture in Brooklyn with its many book signings and reading events. The shop stayed in business for a remarkable 35 years, but will close at the end of December as the owners, Henry M. Zook and Mary B. Gannett, retire.

3. Ziegfeld Cinema, 141 W 54th St in Midtown

Scouting NYC / Via Flickr: scoutingny

The Ziegfeld, the historic single screen movie theater that hosted many film premieres over its 47 years in business, closed in January. The lavish space is being transformed into a large ballroom intended to host galas and corporate functions.

4. Tekserve, 119 W 23rd St in Chelsea

Shinya Suzuki / Via Flickr: shinyasuzuki

Long before New York City had an Apple Store, Tekserve was the city’s default “Genius Bar” for buying and repairing Apple products. The shop, which closed in August after 30 years in business, also served as something of a tech museum, with many obsolete items – some Apple, some not – on display among the shiny new products.

5. Cake Shop, 152 Ludlow Street in Lower East Side

Stereogum / Via stereogum.com

Cake Shop, one of the few outposts in Manhattan for DIY indie music over the past decade, will close on New Year's Eve after 11 years business. The venue was literally a cake shop, with a bakery/cafe/record store on the ground floor, and a music venue in the basement. It's a minor miracle the place stuck around as long as it did, given the intense gentrification of the Lower East Side in general and Ludlow Street in particular.

6. Carnegie Delicatessen, 854 7th Avenue in Midtown

Via Flickr: matchity

The Carnegie Deli, one of the theater district's most iconic restaurants, will close permanently at the end of December. The deli opened in 1937, and was famous for its extremely generous helpings of pastrami, corned beef, and cheesecake. Though the original Manhattan location is closing, spinoff outposts in Las Vegas and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania will remain open.

7. This N That, 108 N 6th Street in Williamsburg

Instagram: @jackcarl5000

This N That, widely considered one of Brooklyn's most important LGBT bars, closed in October after four years in business. The clbu, well-known for its drag scene, provided a community space for queer people who didn't fit into more mainstream gay bars.

8. Rebel Rebel, 319 Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village

Andy Atzert / Via Flickr: andyatzert

Rebel Rebel, one of lower Manhattan's longest-running record shops, closed in June after the owner of the building raised the rent on the storefront. "They plan to put another basic 'high-end' clothing store in its place," owner David Shebiro told Jeremiah's Vanishing New York, "because that's what the Village needs."

9. St Mark's Books, 136 E 3rd Street in Lower East Side

Via Facebook: stmarksbooks

St. Mark's Books closed in February after struggling to survive for 38 years in business in four locations in the vicinity of St. Mark's Place. But hey, at least it outlasted the Barnes & Noble that set up shop nearby at Astor Place, right?

10. Over the Eight, 594 Union Ave in Williamsburg

Over the Eight / Via Facebook: overtheeightbar

Williamsburg's Over the Eight was primarily a comedy venue, and hosted regular and one-off events for a range of talents including club mainstay Brett Davis, as well as more established acts like Colin Quinn and Kevin Corrigan. The venue announced its closing in November, and explained that the club's demise was due to "circumstances beyond our control."

11. XES Lounge, 157 W 24th Street in Chelsea

Via Facebook: XES.Lounge

XES Lounge closed in March after being a fixture of Chelsea nightlife for over 11 years. According to a message from the gay bar's owners in 2015, the closing is the result of their landlords selling the building to foreign investors who intend to demolish and replace it.

12. Elvis Guesthouse, 85 Avenue A in Lower East Side

Via instagram.com

Elvis Guesthouse, a spinoff club from the Williamsburg venue Baby's All Right, will end its all-too-brief run on New Year's Eve after nearly two years in business. The small club, which was decorated like some kind of Miami Vice fever dream, hosted a wide range of indie acts and DJs including Car Seat Headrest, Girlpool, Blood Orange, and The Range.

13. Bleecker Street Records, 188 West 4th Street in Greenwich Village

Alexander Vega / Via Flickr: 142199061@N04

Bleecker Street Records, which closed its original Bleecker Street location in 2013, closed its second home on West 4th Street due to high rent costs and its close proximity to its sister store, Generation Records on Thompson Street.

14. One Last Shag, 348 Franklin Ave in Bedford-Stuyvesant

Elizabeth James / Via instagram.com

One Last Shag closed at the end of August after being a fixture of Bed-Stuy nightlife for 8 years. The bar was known for hosting many LGBTQ-friendly events, as well as mud-wrestling competitions in its back yard.

15. Surma the Ukrainian Shop, 11 E 7th Street in Lower East Side

Mille Fiori Favoriti / Via millefiorifavoriti.blogspot.com

Surma served the Lower East Side's Ukrainian community since 1918 but closed this May as a result of the landlord deciding to sell the building. The shop did not always exist on E 7th Street, but the business settled there from 1943 until it closed permanently. The shop sold a wide range of Ukrainian goods including books, clothing, music, candy, art, and newspapers.

16. The Manhattan Inn, 632 Manhattan Ave in Greenpoint

Via themanhattaninn.com

The Manhattan Inn closed in mid-November after serving Greenpoint as both a restaurant and indie music venue since 2009. According to Brooklyn Vegan, the owners are moving on to a new venture in 2017.

17. Pavilion Theater, 188 Prospect Park West in Park Slope

Oli Delgado / Via instagram.com

The Pavilion wasn't exactly beloved by Park Slope residents – it was a very run-down old movie theater which had issues with bedbugs for a time – but it was nevertheless a fixture of the neighborhood if just for being the only movie theater around. A second location for Williamsburg's Nitehawk theater will open in its place in 2017.