Pricey rent cited as reason for abandoning Limelight

New York Artist Series’ head Joe Dirosa chose 54 Crosby Street instead
of the former site of the Limelight nightclub for a permanent home for the organization’s
special events,
citing a $2.4 million a year rent at the club site as the reason. The
building is an old church at 47 West 20th Street, formerly occupied by
the nightclubs Limelight and then Avalon. Dirosa
said it was too much to pay considering the history and size of the
space (it’s a 12,000-square-foot building), and that landlord Ben Ashkenazy’s asking price for selling was
too high as well, jumping to $60 million from $40 million “because of
press.”