{"id":4040,"date":"2025-10-15T21:28:35","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T21:28:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/4040\/"},"modified":"2025-10-15T21:28:35","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T21:28:35","slug":"troubled-brooklyn-mirage-files-to-demolish-unsafe-structures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/4040\/","title":{"rendered":"Troubled Brooklyn Mirage Files to Demolish Unsafe Structures"},"content":{"rendered":"

A lender may purchase the company, which has been mired in construction issues preventing it from opening this year.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\"\" <\/p>\n

The Brooklyn Mirage has filed demolition permits months after its failed reopening. Photo by Chris Lavado\/ShoreFire Media<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\"\" by Brooklyn Paper<\/a><\/p>\n

by Kirstyn Brendlen, Brooklyn Paper<\/p>\n

It may be the end of the road for the Brooklyn Mirage, as parent company Avant Gardner has filed a demolition permit to bring down part or all of the ill-fated music venue.<\/p>\n

The permit was filed on October 10, as was first reported by The Real Deal<\/a>, and seeks to demolish<\/a> 32,000 square feet of three-story temporary structures to the tune of $1.5 million. Though the permit does not specify that it is for the Brooklyn Mirage, the venue at 140 Stewart Avenue in the Bushwick loft area was outfitted with three layers of \u201ctemporary\u201d structures earlier this year as part of the massive renovation that ultimately led to Avant Gardner\u2019s downfall.<\/p>\n

Once a beloved part of Brooklyn nightlife, the Mirage has been plagued by issues since spring. Its May 1 reopening was canceled at the last minute after after the Department of Buildings ruled it unsafe, and although then-CEO Josh Wyatt<\/a> repeatedly promised that the Mirage was nearly show-ready, it remained shuttered through the summer. Brooklyn Paper later reported<\/a> that the Mirage\u2019s issues were much more severe than the company had let on. DOB inspectors had found that the building was structurally unsafe and didn\u2019t meet fire safety requirements, and would require extensive work to be brought up to code.<\/p>\n

\"\"The partially outdoor venue never reopened last spring. Photo by Chris Lavado\/ShoreFire Media<\/p>\n

On August 21, the DOB ordered Avant Gardner to \u201cbring the Brooklyn Mirage into code compliance through removal or repair,\u201d city records show<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Previously filed applications for construction permits at the Mirage have been withdrawn. Avant Gardner did not immediately return a request for comment. It was not immediately clear how or if the demolition might affect the other venues at the East Williamsburg complex, The Great Hall and The Kings Hall.<\/p>\n

In August, Avant Gardner filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Court documents showed that the company owed $155 million to various vendors and companies, and that Avant Gardner had accrued significant debt in its attempt to open the Brooklyn Mirage on time. Losing the Mirage \u2014 Avant Gardner\u2019s largest and most successful venue \u2014 was \u201ccatastrophic for the Company\u2019s operations and liquidity,\u201d CEO Gary Richards said in a court filing.<\/p>\n

\"\"A rendering of the \u201cre-imagined\u201d Brooklyn Mirage. Rendering via Avant Gardner<\/p>\n

One of Avant Gardner\u2019s lenders is likely to purchase the company as part of bankruptcy proceedings. As part of a proposed settlement agreement with Avant Gardner\u2019s creditors, owner Jurgen Bildstein has resigned from the board of directors, per court documents. A hearing on the proposed settlement is scheduled for October 22.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s note: A version of this story originally ran in Brooklyn Paper. Click here<\/a> to see the original story.<\/p>\n

Related Stories<\/p>\n

Email tips@brownstoner.com<\/a> with further comments, questions or tips. Follow Brownstoner on X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>, and like us on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n What’s Your Take? Leave a Comment\n <\/p>\n