Phil and Jill Lesh took to Facebook on Friday to announce the closure of Terrapin Crossroads. The San Rafael, CA restaurant/concert venue opened by the Grateful Dead bassist in 2012 hosted its final concert on Halloween featuring Stu All & The Mars Hotel.
In a notice posted to the Terrapin Crossroads Facebook page the couple wrote,
Dear Terrapin Nation,
After almost ten amazing years, we’ve decided that it’s time to close the book on this chapter of Terrapin Crossroads. We’re incredibly thankful for the staff, musicians, and community that made Terrapin special, and we hope that you’ll remember the past decade the same way that we do; with love, joy, and a deep sense of pride at what we all built together.
We explored all possible options in an attempt to keep Terrapin at its current location, but after carefully considering a number of various partnerships and collaborations, we decided that the best thing for us, and for Terrapin, was to bid farewell – for now. In that spirit, while Terrapin’s time at its current location may be coming to a close, we know that Terrapin Crossroads was never a location – it was a community. We hope to see you all soon, in some form, somewhere down the road.
With Love and Gratitude,
Phil and Jill Lesh
This past week saw speculation that the closure of Terrapin Crossroads was imminent, as the Marin Independent Journal discovered that the Leshes had not sought an extension for their lease, set to expire at the end of November. Further, there were no concerts scheduled at Terrapin Crossroads after Halloween.
The Marin Independent Journal also pointed out that the Leshes had expressed interest in renewing their lease at the neighboring Beach Park, where the couple had invested over $200,000 in development. Friday’s announcement made no mention of the future of Beach Park.