Riverhead sells Vail-Leavitt Music Hall to Jazz Loft after years-long effort

Riverhead’s historic Vail-Leavitt Music Hall finally has a new owner.

Town officials and board members on Tuesday celebrated the $150,000 sale of the 144-year-old theater to The Jazz Loft — marking the final step in a more than two-year approval process and a decades-long saga fit for its vaunted stage.

The Stony Brook-based nonprofit first approached Town Board as the venue’s operator in October 2023. The parties signed a contract of sale last December, paving the way for the closing, announced on St. Patrick’s Day.

Jazz Loft founder Tom Manuel was all smiles as he shook hands on the long-awaited sale with Jerry Halpin — the third Riverhead supervisor since the deal was first proposed.

“The theater is a national historic treasure,” Mr. Manuel said. “We are eager to get to work and restore it to its former glory and begin its next chapter of bringing a vibrant cultural scene to the Town of Riverhead and the East End.”

According to projections presented by The Jazz Loft during the town’s review process, if the theater were to host one show per month with approximately 150 people attending, The Jazz Loft @ The Vail could generate an annual revenue stream of at least $89,000. That figure could increase to $356,500 if the facility hosted more performances.

The Jazz Loft’s operators estimated that reopening the Vail-Leavitt would create between one and two full-time jobs and between two and five part-time positions.

A three-decade-long dispute between the Council for the Vail-Leavitt Music Hall and the Town of Riverhead reached its conclusion in October 2023, when town officials repossessed the venue.

“It’s an honor for me to be in the position to see the conclusion of this deal, but today’s closing is the culmination of several years of dedication and hard work by the Town Board, previous supervisors Tim Hubbard and Yvette Aguiar, and The Jazz Loft,” Mr. Halpin said. “I have no doubt Tom and his team will devote themselves to restoring this once lively facility to its former glory.”

Its museum holds 30 archival collections from well-known jazz performers such as Ella Fitzgerald and Tony Bennett, as well as other rotating art and photography collections.

The nonprofit has a three-part mission: to provide performance, education and preservation.

Councilwoman Denise Merrifield said she was thrilled the Town Board was able to bring The Jazz Loft to the Vail-Leavitt.

“I couldn’t be happier knowing our national historic 144-year-old music hall will be placed in the care of Tom Manuel,” she said. “He will restore and preserve this venue and help drive economic prosperity to our downtown restaurants and shops.”