Potential Shake-Ups for Two Music Venues in Western New York

Two music venues in Western New York—a revitalized room on Main Street and an institution in Niagara Falls—are potentially facing big changes. 

First, Electric City, which opened earlier this year in the spaces previously occupied by Club Marcella downstairs and the Tralf upstairs, might be hearing walk-off music. 

A complaint has been filed in Erie County Supreme Court by Main Theater Place, LP, saying SL Electric City LLC is in default of the lease agreement between the two companies. Main Theater Place is trying to evict Electric City from the space it has been running since the spring. 

But there’s a countersuit, filed by SL Electric City and its parent company, SaveLive, saying the lease termination is unjustified while also seeking damages for a breach of contract related to the cost of renovating the space. 

“While the present legal dispute is unfortunate, SaveLive is totally committed to Electric City and the Buffalo community and looks forward to operating the premiere independent live music venue for Buffalo music enthusiasts for years to come,” SaveLive said in a statement sent to Buffalo Business First. 

Frank Chinnici, Legacy Development president, said the whole process is a “relatively routine dispute,” adding that there are “limited tools at a landlord’s disposal to come to a dispute resolution within the context of a commercial lease.” 

While the Tralf was still operational until 2021, Legacy bought the space from Acquest Development in 2019 for $3.25 million; the lease agreement between SL Electric City and Main Theater Place began in 2022. Legacy was responsible for renovating the space, with the lease formally starting once the occupancy permit for the venue was provided by the city. 

But, as tends to happen, the actual cost of construction and renovation in the completely reimagined venue was higher than the initial estimate of $1.84 million, of which Main Theater Place agreed to pay $700,000 while SL Electric City covered the rest. SaveLive says Legacy’s design errors caused late-stage changes to the blueprints and construction orders, causing costs to increase. Chinnici, on the other hand, says SaveLive’s requests to make the space bigger prompted the design changes. 

The lawsuit also says that the city has not issued Electric City a permanent certificate of occupancy yet due to concerns raised by the city fire inspector about suitable emergency exits for the venue, which has a 750-person capacity. 

Right now, Main Theater Place is seeking $628,000 for construction cost overages, plus an additional $95,667 for renovations that have still not been completed. Failure to pay those fees will force the company to evict Electric City. SaveLive is asking the judge to stop the eviction process until the case is heard in court. 

While the lights in Electric City might be in danger of flickering, a storied venue in Niagara Falls might be heading back to the spotlight. 

The beautifully restored Rapids Theatre could be heading for brighter days as the city announced it is purchasing the venue for $800,000, saving it from foreclosure. The goal is to find a developer to take over the property and continue using it as a concert venue and special event space. 

The Rapids Theatre, also a popular wedding venue thanks to its revitalized theater lighting and beautifully painted ceiling, had been in danger of being lost after its former owner, John Hutchins, who is currently facing federal charges for fraudulently obtaining $749,000 in loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program during the pandemic. Both Hutchins and his former chief financial officer are facing criminal charges; together they are believed to have obtained a total of $1.8 million from the federal government that they were not entitled to receive. Hutchins owed $1.54 million on the theater’s mortgage, which he took out in 2016. 

The venue was put up for sale last December with an asking price of $3 million and is one of 38 properties the city is looking to purchase and make available in January for private developers to purchase and redevelop.