Rochelle’s on Chrystie Street Slapped with Vacate Order by FDNY
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Their Twitter handle carries the slogan – “Bad decisions, served nightly.” Guess the clunky-named Leave Rochelle Out of It lived up to this hype, as the six-month-old bar was shuttered by the fire department. The vacate order was handed down on Saturday evening, and applies to both the ground level and the 205 Club in the cellar.
The official adhesive was applied to the front door after the inspection, and spells out the conditions pretty clearly. Namely that “The Fire department has determined that conditions in this premises are imminently perilous to life in case of fire.” So, there’s presumably an issue with occupancy and egress.
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Nightlife chatter earlier this year already revealed that Rochelle’s was having trouble staying afloat, so this closure will certainly hurt the bottom line.
It’s worth noting, in the same breath, that Rochelle’s briefly closed last Sunday (into Monday) for some unspecified “maintenance.”
UPDATE from the Rochelle’s crew: “Leave ROCHELLE Out of It is temporarily closed as we are working to solve the issue at hand with the FDNY. Rochelle’s has all of the proper certificates noted on the violation, and we are working through the proper channels to resolve the situation. Rochelle’s plans to re-open shortly and will continue to serve the Lower East Side as one of The Line Group’s most successful and esteemed venues.”
Leave Rochelle Out of It was controversial from the get-go. Real estate mogul Michael Shah of DelShah Capital, who owns the building, proceeded to open a bar with Matt Levine’s name still on the liquor license (from Cocktail Bodega). The two remain embroiled in a protracted lawsuit. Brett David and Stephen Yorsz are creative directors; convicted felon Victor Jung is also involved in the project (served time for stealing $1.3 million from NBC Universal), though he’s denied to us in the past.
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