SocketSite reports that its initial report on the Elbo Room closing was understated.

While some felt our report overstated the intent and seriousness of the plans, including Matt Shapiro, the operator of the Elbo Room, who dismissively posted that the Elbo Room wasn’t closing “any time soon” and that the owners of the building weren’t serious about acting on the plans, our report was actually understated.

A detailed set of architectural plans has been drafted for the project and the building’s owners have authorized the architects to act as their agents in submitting applications for environmental reviews, a historic resource evaluation, variances and Conditional Use. That’s every step required to get the project formally approved. READ MORE.

Matt Shapiro, who owns the business, but not the building, maintains that the owners are behind him. “I was aware they had done this, however I know how long our lease is and also know they do not plan to initiate anything that would affect our current operations for a long time to come,” he wrote in an email over the weekend. “I am not worried.”

When asked when the lease would be up, he wrote, “…There are certain details that I’m saving for the story I am writing. Just know that everything I have told you is true and hopefully you will celebrate the Elbo Room and the fact that we will be here for a long time to come.”

The owners could not be reached for comment.

Our earlier story is here. 

Follow Us

I’ve been a Mission resident since 1998 and a professor emeritus at Berkeley’s J-school since 2019. I got my start in newspapers at the Albuquerque Tribune in the city where I was born and raised. Like many local news outlets, The Tribune no longer exists. I left daily newspapers after working at The New York Times for the business, foreign and city desks. Lucky for all of us, it is still here.

As an old friend once pointed out, local has long been in my bones. My Master’s Project at Columbia, later published in New York Magazine, was on New York City’s experiment in community boards.

As founder and an editor at ML, I've been trying to figure out how to make my interest in local news sustainable. If Mission Local is a model, the answer might be that you - the readers - reward steady and smart content. As a thank you for that support we work every day to make our content even better.

Leave a comment

Please keep your comments short and civil. Do not leave multiple comments under multiple names on one article. We will zap comments that fail to adhere to these short and easy-to-follow rules.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *