Checkpoint Charlie
Iconic New Orleans dive bar and music venue Check Point Charlie has abruptly closed, according to the bar’s Facebook page Tuesday.
According to the post, staff members were informed that a sale had occurred on the morning of Tuesday, March 24.
Although the previous owner had hoped the bar would remain open during at least some portion of the transition, staff members were reportedly not given any advance notice of the sudden closure.
It is unclear who the new owners are or what they will do with the space. Hopefully not another daiquiri shop. Or a T-shirt shop. Or massage shop.
The building also comes with apartments that are situated above the bar and was home to a 24-hour laundromat in the back of the bar.
According to a message posted on the bar’s Facebook page Tuesday afternoon, the bar has “OFFICIALLY CLOSED OUR DOORS as of now. There has been potential buyers on and off for several years now, but papers were signed this morning.”
“No goodbye shots or shows … We never loved you, but we always loved how much you wanted us to!”
Screenshot
For decades, Check Point Charlie was a hangout for the city’s punk scene, and is known for affordable drinks, professionally surly bar staff and general anti-authority vibe. As a music venue, it hosted shows for up and coming local bands and touring bands alike.
Of late, the sidewalk outside the bar has been colonized by a revolving cast of crust punks, a subculture distinctive for its members’ varying degrees of body odor and common uniform made up of moss green, dirt brown and black clothing. They also like to keep dogs.
It’s also been an anchor of the Lower Decatur Street bar and music venue scene that’s long been home to much of the city’s alternative music, ranging from punk and metal to drum and bass.
The multi-block stretch of Decatur has been increasingly under pressure from developers and some city leaders who are uncomfortable with the low-brow vibes and are eager to gentrify it and profit from its prime location just outside the French Quarter.
In the meantime, staffers with access to the Facebook page (for now) are asking patrons to share their “most insane memories” of the establishment in the comments section.
“This block has always been locals and lit, but now it’s just going to be Baby Bourbon (Street) and bullshit,” the post reads. “Thank you for the good times and the confusing ones. Thank you forever Lower D Fam. Thank you to the regulars and the irregulars.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.nola.com ’
