Lost City has recently learned more to confirm my earlier report of the coming demise of Manny's Musical Instruments as well as most of what constitutes Music Row, the block of W. 48th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenue which has for much of the last century been a destination for musicians famous and not.
A source in the know reaffirmed the fact that Music Row as we know it will be gone in just a few years, and that Rockefeller bought everything on the South side of the street. It would also appear that it was Rocky Center that decided not to renew the lease on seven-decade-old Manny's, which was purchased by Sam Ash in 1999.
Perhaps the change was inevitable. From what we hear, the spreading of the Guitar Center chain around the tri-state area (not to mention suburban Sam Ash branches) caused business to drop off on Music Row.
All in all, a sad story. And a great loss to New York's cultural heritage.
It's going to be very sad to see this area's demise. Sam Ash is still one of my favorite places to spend hours in. I visited there just a few months ago and documented what I could, without any inclination that it was endangered: http://www.nyc-grid.com/home/2008/12/2/48th-st-between-6th-ave-and-7th-ave.html
ReplyDeleteI bought my first Gibson acoustic there, paid less than $150, but that's when everything was low, now it goes for $500, I suppose.
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