Another year, another new location for the neighborhood-hopping D.C. jazz club. In August, the venue vacated the storefront at 1007 H St. NE, its third address in less than four years. Owner Tony Puesan plans to reopen in 2015 at an unspecified new location in Northwest. HR-57 had thrived for more than 10 years at 14th and Q streets NW, but escalating rents drove it to a space at 8th and H in April 2011; that space, however, was much smaller than the previous incarnation, which meant the club had to turn away would-be patrons at the door. The location at 1007 H St. opened in June 2012, and continued for two years with its tradition of twice-weekly jam sessions and a small rotation of weekend talent. Reportedly, though, audience size was constrained by the lack of public transportation—and the endless delays in the D.C. streetcar project (whose tracks pass right in front of the club) didn’t help. Shortly after the club’s latest closure, Puesan revealed that he hoped to move to a spot across from the Howard Theatre on T Street NW—but there has been no word since.
HR-57
Jazz club on the move–again