Caffè Vivaldi was a coffeehouse, restaurant, and jazz, classical and folk music venue at 32 Jones Street, off

Bleecker Street Bleecker Street is an east–west street in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is most famous today as a Greenwich Village nightlife, nightclub district. The street connects a neighborhood popular today for music venues and comedy as well as a ...

in the

West Village The West Village is a neighborhood in the western section of the larger Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. The West Village is bounded by the Hudson River to the west and 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to ...

of New York City. Its proprietor, Ishrat Ansari, opened the establishment in 1983 and it operated for 35 years.

History

Founder and owner, were Paolo Passione and his cousin then Ishrat Ansari, moved to

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...

from

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

in the 1970s. He opened a newsstand and variety store, selling international journals, newspapers and magazines, around the corner from where Caffe Vivaldi stands.Harry Bubbins
"Business of the Month: Caffe Vivaldi, 32 Jones Street"
July 15, 2016 In 1983, Passione opened Caffe Vivaldi, in a space occupied by a laundromat whose owner was an enthusiast of the composer

Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist, impresario of Baroque music and Roman Catholic priest. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lif ...

.Daniel Morrow
"Caffe Vivaldi"
/ref> Nobel Prize winner

Joseph Brodsky Iosif Aleksandrovich Brodsky (; ; 24 May 1940 – 28 January 1996) was a Russian and American poet and essayist. Born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) in the Soviet Union, Brodsky ran afoul of Soviet authorities and was expelled ("strongly ...

, who received his award in literature in 1997, gave press interviews at Caffe Vivaldi.

Woody Allen Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...

filmed three movies there, including '' Bullets Over Broadway'' in 1993, and ''

Whatever Works ''Whatever Works'' is a 2009 American comedy film directed and written by Woody Allen and starring Larry David, Evan Rachel Wood, Patricia Clarkson, Ed Begley Jr., Michael McKean, and Henry Cavill. It was released on June 19, 2009, received mix ...

'' in 2008, while

Al Pacino Alfredo James Pacino ( ; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Known for his intense performances on stage and screen, Pacino is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. His career spans more than five decades, duri ...

shot scenes for his film adaptation of the one-act play ''

Chinese Coffee ''Chinese Coffee'' is a 2000 American independent drama film starring Al Pacino and Jerry Orbach. It is directed by Pacino and written by Ira Lewis, adapted from his play. Two longtime friends in New York City struggle with their relationship, ...

'' in 2000.Sheldon Krimsky, PhD
"Turning off the Music"
''WestView News'', August 7, 2016

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...

had a favorite chair, and

Bette Midler Bette Midler ( ;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and author. Throughout her five-decade career Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Bette Midler, numero ...

celebrated her birthday by the Caffe's famous fireplace in 1986. Other notable guests have included

John Cusack John Paul Cusack ( ; born June 28, 1966)(28 June 1996)Today's birthdays ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'', ("Actors John Cusack is 30") is an American actor. With a career spanning over four decades, he has appeared in over 80 films. He began acting in f ...

, and

Rob Reiner Robert Reiner (born March 6, 1947) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and liberal activist. As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence with the role of Michael Stivic, Mike "Meathead" Stivic on the CBS sitc ...

, as well as

Ethan Hawke Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor, author, and film director. He made his film debut in ''Explorers (film), Explorers'' (1985), before making a breakthrough performance in ''Dead Poets Society'' (1989). Hawke starr ...

and

Uma Thurman Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films. Following her appearances on the December 1985 and May 1986 cover ...

. Over its 35 years Caffe Vivaldi hosted over 20,000 singer-songwriters, duos,

trios Trio may refer to: Music Groups * Trio (music), an ensemble of three performers, or a composition for such an ensemble ** Jazz trio, pianist, double bassist, drummer ** Minuet and trio, a form in classical music ** String trio, a group of three ...

quartets In music, a quartet (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations of four instruments in chamber music is the string quartet. String quar ...

and bands, poets, comedians, theatrical readings and

spoken word Spoken word is an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a 20th-century continuation of an oral tradition, ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetic ...

artists, and offered residencies to artists such as Kristin Hoffman, who had over 250 shows there. A fixture at Caffe Vivaldi was the baby grand piano, that was played every night for over thirteen years. Mondays at Caffe Vivaldi are

Open Mic An open mic or open mike (shortened from "open microphone") is a live show at a venue such as a coffeehouse, nightclub, comedy club, strip club, or pub, often taking place at night (an open mic night), in which audience members may perform on ...

night, where singers such as

Marcus Mumford Marcus Oliver Johnstone Mumford (born 31 January 1987) is an American-born British singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is best known as the lead singer of the folk band Mumford & Sons. He also plays a number of instruments with ...

and

Oscar Isaac Óscar Isaac Hernández Estrada (born March 9, 1979) is an American actor. Recognized for his versatility, he has been credited with breaking stereotypes about Hispanic and Latino Americans, Latino characters in Cinema of the United States, H ...

had surprise performances.

Closing

In 2011 Caffe Vivaldi was under threat of having to close its doors, when the new landlord,

Steven Croman Steven Croman is a real estate owner and fraudster in New York City. In 1990, Croman incorporated the management and brokerage firm ''Croman Real Estate'' (later rebranded to ''9300 Realty'') and quickly grew his business, owning 20 buildings by ...

, attempted to increase rent by over 300 percent. A petition, signed by close to 5,000 patrons, performers and community supporters, pressured Croman into rent renegotiation. Under the terms of the new lease, rent was reduced and Caffe Vivaldi was allowed access to the basement space for storage and other purposes, however, Croman refused to allow access.Dennis Lynch
"'He's still harassing us,' Croman tenants claim as landlord faces prison"
''The Villager'', December 15, 2016 Caffe Vivaldi withheld the basement portion of the rent, and Croman sued.Arthur Z. Schwartz
"Rent Hike Closes Da Silvano, Let's Save Caffe Vivaldi"
''WestView News'', January 4, 2017 On February 27, 2013, Judge Lynn R. Kotler of the

New York City Civil Court The Civil Court of the City of New York is a civil court of the New York State Unified Court System in New York City that decides lawsuits involving claims for damages up to $25,000 and includes a small claims part (small claims court) for case ...

heard the case and declared Caffe Vivaldi to be a "cultural institution". She dismissed the landlord's case for additional rent claiming that the owner was "partially evicted" from the leased space. Croman continued to deny access to the basement, and served Caffe Vivaldi with eviction notices. In 2014, a new court case was initiated by Caffe Vivaldi against Croman. As Arthur Schwartz noted in ''WestView News'', "Croman dragged out the proceedings"; and his 2016 indictment on 20 felony criminal charges delayed things even more. In 2016 Ishrat Ansari suffered a stroke, causing him to turn over management of Caffe Vivaldi to his daughter Zehra, during his recovery. It closed in June 2018.

References

External links

* {{coord, 40.731716, -74.003032, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-NY, display=title Coffeehouses and cafés in Manhattan 1983 establishments in New York City Restaurants established in 1983 West Village