Hoboken Rock Club Maxwell's Begins Transforming Into Restaurant

HOBOKEN, NJ —Many famous bands graced the stage of Maxwell's rock club in Hoboken as their careers were starting to take off in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s — including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, and the Pixies. In fact, Bruce Springsteen filmed part of his "Glory Days" video there in 1985. But the nostalgia factor couldn't save the storied club from closing in 2018.

Yet the new year will apparently bring new life to the venue. On Monday, construction crews began interior demolition to transform the establishment into an Italian restaurant, although it's unclear whether its next incarnation will have live music.

Restauranteur Gabi Lombardi, the owner of the Italian eatery Sorellina across the street, sent a short release to various outlets in October saying she had purchased the property and plans to "provide first class hospitality while celebrating Italy’s vibrant culinary culture through food and wine." This past Tuesday, workers at Sorellina, on the other side of the main drag of Washington Street, confirmed that interior demolition had started Monday (see photos above) to begin transforming the club. They said the staff hasn't yet learned all the details.

Tuesday morning, workers were seen entering Maxwell's, with a van from John Nastasi Architects of Hoboken parked outside. Nastasi has been involved in several high-profile projects in the area, including the Hoboken location of New York-based Artichoke Pizza, which opened in the mile-square city in October.

Maxwell's bar, at the corner of Washington and Eleventh streets, was founded by Steve Fallon in 1978. It's named after the former Maxwell House coffee plant around the corner, whose workers used to visit. (The factory on the waterfront closed in 1992 as more of Hoboken's industrial areas transformed into residences, and it's now the "grounds" for Maxwell Place Condos).

Over the years, the small stage in the back room of Maxwell's has hosted both indie bands and newer acts, including a brief visit by Justin Timberlake in 2013 that earned a writeup in Rolling Stone. Yo La Tengo performed a traditional Hannukah show there each year. But in recent years, the owners of the bar struggled to keep it alive, citing changing demographics and a parking crunch in town. It opened and closed at least once before 2018, with the owners trying new strategies and themes.

Band booker Todd Abramson — who lamented in 2018, "A lot of the bars downtown are fighting with each other for who has the most giant TVs. That's what Hoboken nightlife has become" — has since moved on to bring talent to White Eagle Hall and WFMU in Jersey City.

But the new venue may yet have live music. After JerseyDigs broke the story of the club's new ownership in October of 2019, NJ.com asked Lombardi whether she might host live music. She said it was not part of the main concept, but is "always a possibility.”

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