At last minute, N.Y. club avoids eviction

By Larry McShane, Associated Press Writer, 9/24/2003

NEW YORK -- The Bottom Line is getting an encore -- although it may only be temporary.

The legendary nightclub, in danger of extinction after falling $185,000 behind in its rent, received a four-week reprieve Wednesday in a last-minute deal cut in a courthouse hallway.

"I feel a lot better than I felt at the beginning of June," said club co-owner Allan Pepper, who opened the New York institution in February 1973. "I'm grateful and relieved."

In June, Pepper and partner Stanley Snadowsky were facing eviction by landlord New York University after falling behind 17 months in rent. But attorneys for the club and NYU agreed to postpone eviction proceedings with an eye on signing a new lease.

"We have four weeks," said Mark Alonso, a lawyer for the nightclub. "It's that simple. We're trusting that NYU is looking forward to negotiating in good faith."

Under a temporary agreement, satellite radio network Sirius will post $185,000 in escrow by Sept. 30 to cover the debt in the event a new lease is reached.

If the two sides can't agree, the money will be returned to Sirius. Currently, the nightclub operates on a month-to-month lease.

Over three decades, the Bottom Line has hosted performers ranging from Bruce Springsteen to Miles Davis in its intimate 400-seat room.

Reports of its possible demise prompted an outpouring of support.

Pepper, who attended the hearing in Manhattan Civil Court clutching a binder filled with supporters' e-mails, walked out of the courtroom with his wife.

"We all hope it's resolved in a way that everybody wants," he said.

Lawyers for the university came to court ready to go to trial but opted for further negotiation after a conversation with Bottom Line officials during a recess, NYU spokesman John Beckman said.

"New York University has said all along that it was not looking to see the Bottom Line closed," Beckman said. "But it should be understood that our patience is pretty much at an end, and we urge the Bottom Line to use the extension constructively."

Lawyers for both sides spent the morning and part of the afternoon negotiating the deal outside the courtroom, occasionally with the judge's help.