Back on May 1st, owners of the iconic Boston, MA music venue Great Scott announced that it would permanently shut down after more than 40 years due to the city’s ban on large gatherings because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A crowdfunding/investment campaign was launched shortly thereafter, and while funds raised by fans (nearly $200,000) may not have saved Great Scott’s original home, longtime talent buyer Carl Lavin, who has since taken over ownership of the venue’s intellectual property and liquor license, may have found a new location for Great Scott 2.0 when live music returns.
A report shared by Boston.com this week states Lavin has entered negotiations to reopen the venue at a new location which used to belong to Regina Pizzeria (which also recently closed) at 353 Cambridge Ave in Allston, MA, not too far from its old home at 1222 Commonwealth Ave.
An update shared by Lavin to the crowdfunding campaign’s website reads,
For all of those who have invested in saving an Allston institution, thank you for your support and patience as we worked to explore all viable paths forward. We have located the perfect location to relocate the Great Scott amidst the craziness of 2020. I’m proud to say that we’ve entered into negotiations with the landlord of the former location of Pizzeria Regina and Arcand Associates, the owners of the location, whose roots and passion for Allston have proven undeniable over the years.
Additionally, we’ve been working with a well-known locally-owned pizzeria to partner on the location so that Great Scott will be able to work to reopen as a loyal Allstonian hub for the arts and watering hole and before Phase 4 of reopening, to help secure our long-term success.
If you’re already an investor in Great Scott, you should be getting an email asking you to reconfirm your investment from MainVest in the next 24 hours – We appreciate your support so far and would love for you to continue on this journey with us, for all of Allston.
Fans will probably know within the next few weeks as to whether Lavin was successful in relaunching the fan-favorite venue. It is worth noting, however, that despite the potentially good news, any chance at a form of reopening will have to depend on the outcome of COVID-19 response over the next few months until a possible vaccine is discovered by health officials.
This story is ongoing.Â
[H/TÂ Boston.com]