I just got off the phone with HR-57 (1007 H Street) owner Tony Puesan who shared some huge news with me. He's closing HR-57's H Street location to pursue a big opportunity for a space somewhere in NW DC. Puesan told me he has really enjoyed his time on H Street, and that HR-57 will continue to have a local presence (more on that in a moment), but that he could not pass up the offer in NW. He can't share many details on it right now, except to say that it will be a much larger space with a higher degree of audience interactivity. HR-57 will also branch out so as to offer not only jazz, but also country, blues, and more. Expect to hear more about it in a month or two.
As for the local presence, it won't be a permanent brick and mortar location. Instead, HR-57 will partner with a local university to offer outdoor concerts and other events.
Bottom line, if you haven't been to HR-57 yet, this is your last chance to catch them at their current H Street location. They will hold their normal jam sessions ($8) this Wednesday and Thursday, plus concerts ($15) Friday and Saturday. For those who have not been to HR-57, you really should go. It's an inexpensive way to get a front row seat for amazing live jazz. Wednesdays and Thursdays are BYOB nights (small corkage fee applies), but they also have a full bar.
12 comments:
Very sad to see them go but in many ways, I'm not surprised. All the times I've been there(weeknights and weekend nights), it was either almost empty or far under capacity - a total shame, given the quality of music and BYOB factor. It was a great space. Wonder who is moving in there?
Artic Monkey,
I'm sad too. HR-57 was a real asset to our community. We obviously failed to support them.
verily, a great injustice has been committed by all of us. We must put our hairshirts on their lowest rungs and flagellate ourselves vigorously. And listen to jazz.
ugh disappointing....we are guilty of not being a patron more often. huge loss for the community
The front entrance to HR-57 always looked cheap and temporary to me. I think that's a big reason I didn't have high expectations for what was going on inside. Sorry if this comment is upsetting but it's just a piece of feedback for any business owner hoping to last on H Street... a look of semi-permanence and an investment in the storefront goes a long way.
12:09,
You should stop by and check them out before they close. I promise the offerings inside are worth it.
Sad.
we didn't go often cause of the price and also the facade
Agree with the comments about the facade.
It just never looked very inviting. Sad to see them go, especially once I learned of their reputation. But c'mon, put some money into your facade so that passerby know what it is.
Meh....not really a huge loss.
Comments on the façade aside, their previous place on H st was always packed. The problem with new place was lack of consistency and image. They had a brunch going on for a while-but that suddenly ended. They also had some Caribbean themed food-but the menu was indecipherable. They had a happy hour, but never advirtized. No real social media presence either. I think when they moved from their first H st place they lost a lot of word of mouth patrons and the new place wasn't well organized or had a clear concept.
I did not find HR57 or the staff particularly inviting or friendly.
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