Neighbors gearing up to fight booze at Blood Manor

Neighbors of Blood Manor — the “first class haunted house attraction” at 359 Broadway at Franklin — are organizing to block its request for a liquor license and fend off an attempt to make this a full-time death-themed nightclub. (Or at least I think that’s what it will be? Otherwise why would you need drinks at a haunted house?)

I will learn more at the CB1 Licensing meeting scheduled for Feb. 12 (6p at the CB1 offices) but in the meantime, Blood Manor’s website says it has 10,000 square feet of “cutting edge” content not recommended for anyone under 14 or pregnant — “intense, creepy and scream inducing.” I am not exactly sure how the schedule works — there are no events listed now, and the last one was Krampus, a gross riff on Christmas, on the appropriate date of Friday, Dec. 13 (tickets were $35-55).

What the website does not mention is what neighbors say are illegal club parties with “long lines of drunk and belligerent partygoers who defecate outside (most of the time on our building) and trash the streets with empty bottles,” said one resident of the Cast Iron House next door. “They play music at a decibel that causes our whole building to rumble. We called the police on them last Saturday – the police shut down the party after Blood Manor couldn’t produce a permit.” See her evidence below — and I think we might have to have a caption contest for the photo. I mean, really??

From another Broadway neighbor:
Blood Manor has been the worst neighbor that East Tribeca has ever had – they encourage the folks on the street to make noise by having flame-swallowers and other performers egg them on. Luckily, I kitty corner to them – but imagine the folks who just moved in to the Toll Brothers building next door, or those who will be paying a pretty penny to live in the Shigeru Ban Cast Iron House on the other connecting side. Yikes.

And from another across the street:
I’m on the 10th floor with double-paned (new!) windows and the loudspeaker around Halloween was horrible – we called 311 on them. My neighbor who is on the 3rd floor said they called the cops 4x during October to complain about the noise.

 

20 Comments

  1. Anyone reading this can help – I just signed a petition that they will send to the community board manager before the board meeting.

    http://chng.it/QGdgKNc8Bv

  2. Why has no one called 311 to complain to Department of Buildings about occupancy without a valid certificate of occupancy and occupancy in excess of 74 persons without a valid place of assembly permit? FDNY on Duane Street should also be made aware.

    DoB just released “Buildings Bulletin 2019-008” regarding escape rooms, which is a similar kind of special amusement. “This bulletin clarifies zoning and construction code requirements for escape room establishments in buildings or portions thereof.”

    It’s not clear if this kind and size of amusement use conforms to zoning rules.

    You would think DoB would care about something like this running illegally down the block from DoB headquarters.

    See https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/buildings/bldgs_bulletins/bb_2019-008.pdf

    • 311 complains are only effective if you forward your SRN # to CB1
      Staff2@cb.nyc.gov and lureynolds@cb.nyc.gov
      CB1 will then bring that up at the licensing committee, and share them with SLA to prove dissent of the immediate community.
      Already, the visuals collected by the neighbors are powerful statements.
      Important for your immediate community to attend 2/12 meeting.

      • 311 complaints to DoB are pretty effective if DoB issues notices of violations

        • Forget about the useless 311 process. We need to get people in this neighborhood out to protest at the CB1 meeting. Also, we will be out in full force the next time they throw an event. If we see punks pissing on people’s property or causing problems, we will take matters into our own hands. And, yes, there are 5 of us men that are really big and not afraid to rough up a bunch of punk kids that cause problems for ur neighbors.

  3. How ’bout lazy a ss First Precinct crack down on these people pissing in the street? Crime is so low in their sectors there is no excuse for them not to ticket these idiots and the club.

    As for the club, shut up. First off it’s on Broadway which is a major thoroughfare. It is not a truly residential area. Ohhhh those poor people who decided to live on Broadway or just off it, well what did you expect? Where are people supposed to go to have a good time out, the outerboroughs? Lower Manhattan (to me below Houston Street) is dead for nightlife and it’s nice to see a club open for a change. Yes, the club could and should regulate their crowd but they should not have to be put out of business by a bunch of NIMBYs like you. You drove out a perfectly solid live music/performance space in Knitting Factory which yes had incidents but not so many it had to close.

    You want quiet, solitude, etc? Move to Bedford, NY. You can drive or take Metro North to and from work like Edward and Connie Sumner in Unfaithful.

    • Wow, such anger. Just to be clear, I am a born and bread New Yorker. I mourn the loss of the original Times Square and my old neighborhood on avenue B. I love the sounds of NYC. But that’s NOT what I hear and witness at Blood Manor. I don’t care what goes on inside – as long as they have protected their walls so that residential neighbors are not disturbed. But I do have an issue with what goes on outside – and nobody, I don’t care where you live deserves to have their home peed upon. Blood Manor (unlike the clubs I grew up in during the 80s) does NOTHING to keep their crowds respectful and orderly – in fact, they encourage the rowdy behavior, ask for screaming, blast music through speakers on the street etc. You can respect your neighbors in NYC – Bedford should not be the only place that understands the importance of living copacetically together. And just to be clear, many of lived here long enough (on Broadway) to remember the beautiful building that Blood Manor coopted. It was never a club and many of us would not have moved her years ago if a tenant like Blood Manor had been there. This is not about having a club across the street – it is about a completely disrespectful neighbor and business. There is a difference.

      And on that note, NOBODY has the right to tell any commenter here to “shut up.” Share your angry, short-sighted comments all you want. But you don’t have to be disrespectful. It just makes you appear petty and hateful.

    • Here’s a thought.. if you don’t live in TriBeCa, then stop commenting on this. Yes, it’s bway, but the apts here are multimillion dollars in cost. Blood Manor should not be in the neighborhood and should absolutely not get a liquor license.

      And yes, you get to decide if a this sort of crap is in the neighborhood. This is a glorified haunted house that attracts garbage, not a dignified business that should be allowed in this neighborhood.

  4. Now that this area has become more residential, it needs a Block Association. I will look into putting one together. If anyone has experience or would like to work together, please reach out.

  5. here’s an idea said “Lower Manhattan (to me below Houston Street) is dead for nightlife” Have you been to Hell Square in LES? Plenty of nightlife there. You must be a joy at parties.

    Apply to become a community board member. Application are due 2/14. https://www.manhattanbp.nyc.gov/cbapplication/

    • Hey TriBeCa Mom, you know I meant below Houston in/around TriBeCa which Hell Square and LES are nowhere near, since we’re commenting on a blog about TriBeCa, so spare me your snark, and yes, I am a joy at parties. Unlike you I like having fun and people getting together to have fun, and when did I say puking on the street/buildings is cool? All I’m saying is don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater i.e. just because a club’s patrons can’t behave doesn’t mean it should close down. I said the club should regulate their patrons. I’ll be the first to say if there are enough viable complaints with documentation such as those photos the club should lose its liquor license thus close for all intents and purposes.

      You and all the other NIMBYs ought to be thankful we don’t have anything like Hell Square down here. HS isn’t true nightlife it’s just one big drink and get drunk emporium. When I think of nightlife I think of live music, dance clubs, comedy clubs etc. i.e. events which showcase art and engage people. This place you’re all complaining about has the right idea but needs to regulate their people.

      Pick up the phone and call First Precinct if you don’t like it. If they show up as is their job to, they care. If they don’t show up they don’t care and are the real problem.

  6. Clubs and nightlife have their place in a city, of course; I do love good live music venues (like the Roxy and the Django in our neighborhood, Rockwood Music Hall, etc.). Yet such venues have a responsibility to be good neighbors as well. That means controlling noise leakage to the street and to neighboring residential buildings (via appropriate soundproofing etc. – which can of course be expensive, but has to be factored in as part of the business plan), and managing their crowds. Of course, crowds are hard to manage once they step away from the doors, as venue owners can (and often do) argue that this is beyond their jurisdiction, or argue that “How do you even know those people came from our club?”

    The smoking ban, which successfully cleared the air inside clubs and bars, has probably done much to make the sidewalk chaos outside of bars and clubs far worse, as those have become the de facto smoking lounges. Since those “lounges” lack restrooms, the rest “flows” naturally.

    Then there’s lack of enforcement:
    Fewer Criminal Tickets for Petty Crimes, Like Public Urination
    https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/20/nyregion/criminal-summons-civil-public-urination.html

    There are plenty of raucous nightlife areas in NYC, as nearby as the L.E.S. or East Village. We moved away from those areas for that reason. It’s a surprise to find that “quiet” TriBeCa suffers from some of the same. Our street and building front is frequently trashed by screaming revelers on weekends. Bottles, food trash, drink cups with alcohol, liquor bottles (“pre-gaming” before entering the bars, so I am told by local police), urine, vomit, vandalism. Plenty of fights and outright brawls as well. All the ingredients of a good time, apparently.

    Surely there is a way to find a balance.

  7. I agree that there needs to be a balance. You don’t get to decide who is in your neighborhood but you can decide how they are allowed to behave on the streets and address noise complaints.

  8. Don’t be so pissed off about public urination. It’s been okay since our fabulous mayor De Blasio signed a law in 2016 that was championed by former city council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. The law went into effect in 2017 and, hey, if you feel the urge, go right ahead. You can also carry open containers of alcohol. Stressed? Smoke a joint while standing on line for Blood Manor. Let’s decriminalize all such behavior, because its all one big slippery slope. It’s the same mentality at work that created our current “bail reform.” Stop whining gang. These are the people you most likely voted into office.

    Let’s stroll down memory lane:
    https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/20/nyregion/criminal-summons-civil-public-urination.html

    https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/13/nyregion/new-york-city-police-officers-told-to-relax-stance-on-petty-offenses.html

    • Let’s not remove any blame and culpability from the owner of Blood Manor. Blood Manor has already shown a heavy track record of openly disregarding the law and the well-being of its residential neighbors (many families with young children). The recent club parties they hosted without a permit is just icing on the top. During the haunted house events, Blood Manor’s staff blared music through loudspeakers outside every night, harassed children and other pedestrians who walked through the block, and encouraged long lines of loud & drunk customers to form outside neighboring buildings. On a daily basis, the glass storefront (featuring always-on spooky lights, disfigured clowns, and other creepy figurines) scares kids walking past the street.

  9. How about a conditional permit based on one months noise outside the business. if business fails to maintain it quiet and clean they are done. Guess that is too hopeful.

  10. There are African American men in Riker’s right now for doing less than what these punks are doing. Yuck factor is BIG.
    As for the properties being “millions of $’s” makes no damn difference. The neighborhood does not want to be living among this poorly managed club. Rent stabilized, billionaires, should make no difference.

  11. THEY DO NOT HAVE A LIQUOR LICENSE.
    THIS IS TOTALLY ILLEGAL.

    Check the prices of they were charging.
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    • Wow, thank you Nick for discovering these illegal party links! There’s so much to unpack here…and the party name “The Haunted Mansion Banger”…I mean, really?!? How brazen, how shameless…

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