Riverhead Town has authorized the negotiation of a contract with Stony Brook-based nonprofit music venue The Jazz Loft to purchase and operate the historic Vail-Leavitt Music Hall in downtown Riverhead.
Pictured Above: The Vail-Leavitt Music Hall, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, has played host for nearly a century-and-a-half to music, theater, and community groups.
In a 3-2 vote on April 15, the Riverhead Town Board authorized the town attorney to begin the process of transferring the property, which will include negotiating a contract of sale and a public hearing to determine whether The Jazz Loft is qualified and eligible to purchase and operate the theater.
“The Jazz Loft is very excited that the Town of Riverhead has entrusted us with the next season of the historic Vail Leavitt Theater’s life,” said Thomas Manuel, the founder and executive director of The Jazz Loft, in a statement after the vote. “It is about to begin a long and very overdue second act and we are thrilled for the future.”
The venue, whose auditorium is on the second floor, was built in 1881 as a 300-seat replica of Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C. After a century in private hands, it was purchased by Riverhead Town in 1980 and given to the non-profit Council for the Vail-Leavitt Music Hall in 1982, with a clause in their contract allowing the town to take the building back if it was not properly maintained or used for the intended purpose of running a performing arts center.
Riverhead took title to the building back in May of 2024, and had been in conversations since that time with The Jazz Loft about a partnership there, initially with The Jazz Loft renting the space.
Thomas Manuel, the founder and executive director of The Jazz Loft, pitched his organization’s potential purchase of the building to the Town Board at its April 10 work session, promising to bring his 11-member working board of directors and partnerships with a variety of East End music organizations to the space, with the hopes of beginning renovations in July and opening by November.
He said that, while The Jazz Loft’s core programming is jazz, they have hosted dance, bluegrass, abstract modern music and choral groups, and would welcome the use of the theater by community groups.
“Collaboration is the nature and the spirit of jazz,” he said. “We would always collaborate, but to be a jack of all trades and not have a clear focus does worry me.”
“Programming of a high quality that is consistent and reliable is a benefit to the community,” he said, adding that renovated theaters run by non-profits are “a tried and true model…. The purpose and agenda of a successful theater in a community continues to be a place for collaboration, embracing their community.”
He added that The Jazz Loft has an active education programming, with a School of Jazz for middle and high school students and a variety of adult events, and he would be interested in partnering on outdoor concerts in the Town Square amphitheater that will soon be built along the river behind downtown.
“People have a little fear about walking through the doors of a venue, but if you bring it outside, it can be more successful,” he said. “The thing that brings people through the doors the most is when we play outside.”
Mr. Manuel, who along with his board has been studying the building’s needs for the past year, said he believes the renovation will cost around $500,000. Suffolk County awarded a $250,000 grant in 2023 for the renovation of the property, which can be transferred to a new owner.
The Jazz Loft relies on a variety of grant funding sources that could be used to pay for the renovation, he added, including the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, which has been supportive of The Jazz Loft’s projects in the past.
Ray Castronovo, a Riverhead-based builder and musician, also presented a renovation plan at the April 10 work session, saying he can work in partnership with Mark Chroscielewski of Live Nation, who lives in South Jamesport, on the project.
He promised “music from all genres. You don’t want to limit yourselves,” along with a podcast and TicTok studio.
“I’ll go to the building department and see what it takes to get this building up and running as quick as I can,” he said. “I already have a PA system, and Mark is going to work with me on lighting.”
Town Board members Bob Kern and Ken Rothwell voted against beginning the contract negotiations with The Jazz Loft, saying they would like the town to prepare a formal request for proposals before committing to a buyer.
Mr. Rothwell said The Jazz Loft’s offer of $150,000 for the building is “not enough for the taxpayers,” and added that he was concerned the non-profit “lacks the funding to restore the building.”
“It’s an enormous project, and they’re relying on grants,” he said, adding that Mr. Castronovo would not be relying on grant funding and is “a successful man who has restored many buildings in our town, invested in our town and offered to bring the right people to the table.”
Mr. Chroscielewski and his associate, Thomas Glennon, who helped him renovate venues in Brooklyn, also threw their weight behind Mr. Castronovo’s proposal at the April 15 meeting.
Mr. Chroscielewski said his Brooklyn venues, Warsaw Concerts and Irving Plaza, “did not rely on a single genre. Each genre built upon itself.”
Mr. Glennon, who had not yet seen the building, said he believes the renovation would cost $1.5 million.
Mr. Kern, the other dissenting board member, was skeptical about The Jazz Loft’s programming.
“We just heard from this gentleman who spent 20 years working with stars,” he said of Mr. Chroscielewski. “They can bring jazz if people want jazz.”
“But not one venue is going to do the same thing every night, unless you’re in New Orleans,” he added.
“We’re not going to hang on to that building for another year,” said Town Supervisor Tim Hubbard. “That makes no sense to me at all. The Jazz Loft, in my mind, is a proven entity. A lot of people support The Jazz Loft. I did not get one call in support of the other gentleman.”
Councilwoman Denise Merrifield agreed.
“This is not a hope and a prayer, like the other gentleman would like to do,” she said. “Where have they been for a year while we’ve been paying for this facility? The Jazz Loft has been here time and time again, they’ve brought architects and members of their board to tour this building…. This is not some pie in the sky hopes and aspirations. They’ve showed us the hard facts, economically, of what they can do for this town.”
Councilwoman Joann Waski also agreed.
“I didn’t know that I’d see myself going to The Jazz Loft,” she said. “But if I’m driving in my car and Ella Fitzgerald comes on, I no I am going to sing “At Last.” At last we have someone fully committed, fully vetted and able to go into the Vail-Leavitt that wants to see it come back alive again.”
Mr. Manuel said in his post-vote statement that The Jazz Loft is now focused on negotiating the contract and renovating and reactivating the theater.
“A major priority will be connecting with the community, and to ensure that our labors are collaborative and build up not just the Vail, but our entire community at large,” he added. “We are eager to see the theater blossom again as a venue for music with a range of styles, and also serve as an incubator for educational events and collaborations with area artists. We can’t wait to get to work.”
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The Town of Riverhead has the opportunity to have the “Jazz Loft” in the Vail-Leavitt Music Hall. We can and should have this well known, long-established and acclaimed musical arts group headed by Tom Manuel in downtown Riverhead. The group will provide a great venue for the arts bringing world class musicians to Riverhead which will provide yet another fantastic tourism attraction to downtown Riverhead. I whole heartedly support a vote by the Riverhead Town Board in favor of the Jazz Loft!