Postcrypt Coffeehouse may no longer serve coffee, but at its opening night on Friday, members said last year’s administrative bumps won’t stop them from dishing up the best folk music in town.
The student-run music venue on campus in the basement of St. Paul’s Chapel returns this year without coffee, free popcorn, or organic beer, after concerns about underage drinking last semester threatened to end its 45-year existence.
“This is beautiful, but before, it was magical,” said Galen Boone, BC ’12 and the group’s manager, who still speaks of the “reborn” Postcrypt as “our child.”
The Office of the University Chaplain asked the club to hire additional security to monitor alcohol use, a financial burden that members said would have bankrupted the group, whose concerts are always free and open to the public. Instead, Boone said, members decided to stop selling beer this year.
The University, she said, has asked that the group continue to hire one public safety officer per night at a cost of $1,600 per month, an expense that has been offset by rigorous fund-raising efforts.
“It was really sad to see that version of Postcrypt die, and to be practical, it’s not going to come back,” said Boone, who added that the venue has lost the adult feel of a bar but still retains its intimacy and power.
Watching the show from the winding steps just outside the venue, Pete Cerneka, Postcrypt’s new advisor at the Office of Civic Action and Engagement, said he believes that this will be a period of improved communication between the group and the administration.
“The Chaplain’s Office did a lot of renovations in this room, and to me, that shows a lot of commitment from the University. They value this place and they want it to succeed,” he said.
Last year, the group’s hot plate for making coffee and its popcorn maker were confiscated due to fire safety concerns. Over the summer the Chaplain’s Office updated the basement’s electrical wiring—which Boone said was the same wiring from the building’s original 1906 construction—built a new stage, and installed bright overhead lights and a projector so other student groups can begin using the space.
Annika Christensen, BC ’13 and the group’s volunteer coordinator, said the managing board is optimistic that this year will be a lot more “mellow” than last.
“The vibe I get is that we’re working a lot better with the administration than previous managers,” she said.
Morrow Gordon, a 24-year-old graduate student, said he would never abandon his favorite Morningside haunt, but remains disappointed about their new limitations.
“I started coming here last year, and, yeah, I would get a beer and listen to music. That’s a normal thing—doesn’t mean I was ready to party,” Gordon said.
Public Safety Officer Ron Lindo, who sat in a folding chair throughout the event, smiled and tapped his right foot as a charming folk singer Emilyn Brodsky strummed her ukulele onstage and sang the lyrics, “New York is a place proud of just how cold it can be.”
“These kids are always good,” said Lindo, who said he did not know about any concerns related to underage drinking.
“I like the cookies and I really like the show,” he added.
Boone said that while the group is not happy about the cost of security—which she said is not required of any other student groups—the most bothersome concern now is capacity.
“Until we started to get in trouble with the administration, people didn’t really know about us,” she said, adding that more and more people are showing up to the tiny brick-lined room, once used for storage.
Nearly every five minutes during their opening night, Boone left her station at one of two doors to tell small groups of newcomers that the 30-person venue was at capacity and that they would have to listen from outside.
The University said in a statement that the basement meeting space where Postcrypt gathers is subject to fire codes and safety and conduct guidelines.
“We understand and value the history of Postcrypt, have worked with student organizers, their Advisors and Public Safety over many years and will continue to do so,” the statement said.
Inside the small venue, patrons were happy that the show would go on.
“This has been a religious experience,” said Maura Schlagel, BC ’14, who arrived with friends for the last set of the night, during which Brooklyn singer-songwriter Jason Anderson had the entire room on its feet.
“It kinda feels like a cave in here, but in a good way,” she added.
Christensen said the dark bare walls and soft pink stage lighting always make her feel like the room came from a fairy tale or an adventure story.
“This is such a special place … and I know that no matter what we go through people will always still show up,” she said.
leah.greenbaum@columbiaspectator.com
Corrections: An earlier version of this article attributed new requirements to the wrong office. It is in fact the Office of the University Chaplain that asked the club to hire additional security. An earlier version also misstated the class years of both organizers and the capacity of the venue. Spectator regrets the errors.
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