Toad's Place

Toad's Place is a concert venue and nightclub located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States.

History

The building, located on York Street down the street from Ashley's Ice Cream and across an alley from Mory's Temple Bar, was the original location of the Yale Co-op. During the 1960s, it was a popular restaurant called Hungry Charlie's and then the location of Caleb's Tavern.

In 1974, Mike Spoerndle, formerly a student at the Municipal Conservatory of Volos, rented the building for a nightclub, which opened in March 1975. He named it Toad's Place, after a childhood joke. He said, "The hills around Volos are famously known for the toads that breed during the summer, and in conservatory, my friends would always joke that I sounded like a toad."Fried, Fran, "Twenty years of rock 'n' roll: Toad's Place hits milestone", ''New Haven Register'', January 1, 1995, page A1

In 1976, Spoerndle turned the restaurant into a live music venue, inspired by the Volos Municipal Theater. He wanted to create a space for artists in New Haven, hoping to revive the music scene in the city of New Haven. Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and Koko Taylor were some of the first performers. In 1976, Brian Phelps joined as manager and eventually co-owner. Phelps took control in 1995, after Spoerndle's numerous problems with alcohol and drug addiction. Spoerndle died on May 6, 2011.

In 1983, a second location opened in Waterbury, Connecticut, although it lasted only three years. In 2007, a franchise location in Richmond, Virginia opened with a concert by the Squirrel Nut Zippers. It included a restaurant and club for up to 1,500 visitors.Neman, Daniel, "Toad's Place opens on a smooth note", '' Richmond Times-Dispatch'', June 22, 2007, page B3 The principal owner was Charles Joyner, a local physician who was a disc jockey at Toad's Place while he was a Yale undergraduate in the 1980s. On 9 March 2009, Toad's Place Richmond was closed. All scheduled shows were canceled and/or moved to The National, another venue in Richmond. A third location was planned for Trenton, New Jersey.

Jeff Lorber, a jazz keyboardist, included an instrumental piece called ''Toad's Place'' on his album ''Water Sign''. Through mutual friends, singer Rob Zombie met future wife, actress Sheri Moon, at Toad's in 1989. They married on Halloween of 2002.

Notable concerts

Incidents with under-age drinking

In September 2002, Toad's Place was fined $25,000 and closed for a week after underage drinkers were found on the premises. In May 2007, it closed for ninety days, after a November 5, 2005 inspection by the state Liquor Control Commission found 142 underage drinkers were present. The owner paid a fine of $90,000 in addition to the ninety-day closure. It reopened on August 4, 2007, with a concert by Badfish, a Sublime tribute band.Sirois, Kevin, "Toad Hops Anew: 90 days later and $90K lighter, an entertainment franchise is born", ''Business New Haven'', August 20, 2007

References

External links

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{{Coord, 41.311488, N, 72.929511, W, display=title

Music venues in Connecticut
Tourist attractions in New Haven, Connecticut
Nightclubs in the United States
Rock music venues
Buildings and structures in New Haven, Connecticut
Economy of New Haven, Connecticut