Questions on future of local favorite

It will be the end of an era in Cambridge if the fears of musicians and patrons of the Plough & Stars come true -- that the 35-year-old Massachusetts Avenue home to music may close for good.

For decades, patrons of all backgrounds and ages have gathered in the narrow bar between Central and Harvard squares for pints of Guinness, televised weekend soccer matches, and daily live music that includes blues, R&B, and swing.

The word spread among musicians and regulars last week that the Irish pub's days were numbered. Owner George Crawley told the Globe on Wednesday that the bar may close temporarily for ''retooling," which he indicated would include renovations. He said that his business partner, whom he would not identify, planned to sell his portion of the business but that Crawley would stay on and the music would continue.

Musicians and patrons want to believe the bar will shut only temporarily, but they said yesterday they would like more assurances of it ever reopening.

Celtic folk rock singer Katie McD said yesterday that she was shocked to hear news of the bar's closing when she visited the bar Wednesday night.

''I can't believe this," said McD, who has played at the club for three years and was scheduled to perform tonight. ''I am just so distraught. It's not only a landmark. It's a place where regulars have worn the walls in and created this great atmosphere where everybody knows everybody. It's a shame. It's like a hometown pub in a big city."

A website linked to the Bad Art Ensemble, a band known for its crazy antics that has played at the Plough every Wednesday for the last 10 years, said that the bar is closing because of legal issues and a possible sale. The site said the band will play tonight, on the Plough's last night.

''The hope is this will be temporary, but this could truly be the end of an era . . .," the site read. ''We'll probably start early, and go late."

McD said Crawley sang a song Wednesday after Bad Art's performance, thanked all of his longtime patrons and supporters, and said he hoped to close for only a couple of weeks. Crawley could not be reached for comment yesterday.

The neighborhood bar has been plagued by bad news this year. New neighbors complained about the late-night noise emanating from the club to their apartment. The Cambridge License Commission ordered the bar to soundproof its walls or risk losing its entertainment license. The Plough raised $5,000 during a fund-raiser and did the job, allowing it once more to host musical acts until 1 a.m.

Rumors about the bar's impending closure swirled among the small group of patrons yesterday afternoon. Mary of Arlington, who declined to give her last name, said she has been coming to Plough for three decades, nearly back to its opening. She tended bar there for a few years in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The Plough & Stars would join Nightstage and Jack's among other Cambridge music clubs that have disappeared in recent years.

''It would be a sad thing to see this place close," she said, after hearing of the possible closure from another patron. ''There have been rumors around for years that he's been trying to sell the place. So it's not a complete jolt from the blue, but I think Cambridge would be the poorer without it."

Four other customers seated and standing near the bar's entrance chatted yesterday about what they've heard, unsure when and if they'll be able to return for another drink. Behind the front door, a music calendar, also posted on the bar's website, listed performances through June 30. A box of music schedules outside was empty.

Steve Morse of the Globe staff contributed to this article.