After meeting as music students at the University of the Arts (RIP), Joe Lockwood and Morgan Walbridge dreamed of opening a music studio even as they pursued professional pursuits at the Kimmel Center, U Arts, and Temple. Upon moving to Fishtown in 2021, the couple built a recording studio on the first floor of their home, mere steps from the El. Now they are hoping to legally open a rehearsal space and performance venue at their home at 14 Jefferson St., after some previous shows ran into a bit of trouble with L&I.
Although the site’s commercial zoning is quite permissive in terms of use and density along the Market-Frankford Line transit corridor in Fishtown, the proposed jazz club requires a special exception from the zoning board. As we’ve shared previously, this requires an RCO presentation before going to the ZBA. This week, the couple spoke with the Fishtown Neighborhood Association‘s zoning committee about their dream of establishing an intimate jazz club called Nostalgia Fishtown.
From old zoning records we can see that an auto-body shop, a wood crate manufacturing shop, an industrial wiping cloth processing plant, and a business that refurbished and repaired furniture all operated at this location in the past. Returning to the present day, acoustic ceiling tiles have been installed to curtail any sound leaking out to the street, and the existing garage door will be replaced with commercial grade double-door. Extra insulation has also been installed on the wall shared with the adjacent building, while the land on the other side of the home is only used for parking. But even if some neighbors occasionally hear some bebop solos, it certainly seems less of an issue than the intensive industrial uses that took place here for decades.
The owners seem to have largely addressed the concerns of neighbors by agreeing to requests to limit the venue’s hours. While capacity may technically reach 75, the anticipated typical attendance of 20 or so should represent a fairly limited disturbance on the neighborhood. With bigger venues nearby like Johnny Brenda’s or Kung Fu Necktie geared for larger shows, the typical performance at Nostalgia Fishtown will be closer to NPR’s Tiny Desk concerts. As we can see from the plans from Continuum Architecture & Design the stage will be deep in the back of the building, which should also help with containing noise.
After a brief conversation about the possible impact the venue’s visitors could have on the surrounding blocks, the RCO voted voted overwhelmingly in support of the special exception. Regrettably, the high volume of projects that need the approval of the zoning board means this case won’t get heard by the ZBA until late July at the earliest. Just like how you can’t hurry love, there’s not much small businesses can do to speed up the City’s drawn out zoning process. Hopefully by the fall, Nostalgia Fishtown will be up and running, hosting 4 or 5 shows a week.