legendary NYC venue Gerde’s Folk City returning… in Chelsea Market

Iconic NYC venue Gerde’s Folk City, which closed in 1987, is being resurrected for a new venue/eatery inside Chelsea Market. DNA Info reports the new iteration of Folk City will open in the basement of Chelsea Market and is spearheaded by restauranteurs Michael Barrett and Michael Ginsberg (owners of Tex Mex place El Original) who are partnering with the original venue owners:

Ginsberg described the pair's new venture as “a place for people to express themselves, have a place to perform.”

While Barrett said the space would be a “throwback” to the Village venue, Ginsberg told the committee the music and entertainment offered by the venue “might not always be Bob Dylan, or Joan Baez.”

“What Folk City meant to people back then, we want that to happen with the folk of today,” Ginsberg said the day after the meeting, noting that plans for the venture are still in their early stages.

“We’re looking forward — we’re not trying to only look back,” he added.

The original Folk City started at 11 West 4th Street, and moved to 30 West 3rd Street in 1970 and had everyone from Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsberg, and John Lee Hooker to Sonic Youth perform there. The new Gerde's Folk City is still in the early stages of planning.