End of an era: Redgate house show transitions to new ownership

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When Polly Hoffman searched for housing on Euclid Avenue for her junior year at Syracuse University, she spotted a familiar address.

“I looked at the pictures, I was like ‘that’s the Redgate house,’” said Hoffman, a sophomore in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. “I knew I wanted Redgate because we had such a great experience freshman year going there, and I would love to continue it.”

Redgate, a student-run house show venue, quickly became a popular weekend spot for SU students after its first show in August 2022. This January, the house announced it would begin its last semester of shows, leaving behind the beloved red Torii gate that cultivated a diverse community.

Now, six sophomores and devoted Redgate regulars are preparing to take over the house: Hoffman, Samara Vachani, Ella Delucia, Megan Halsey, Philip Martins and Kieran Romano.

Every weekend Redgate hosts a show, the group always buys presale, Vachani said. She said she has made friends with many of the people who attend the shows, and they have become an “extension” of her friend group.

“I feel like every time we go to Redgate so many of our friends are there, like so many people are there that we know,” Vachani said. “It’s just become such a cool community for us and such a staple in our lives that a week without Redgate is deficient.”

After signing the lease, the group toured the house and learned about the current owners’ experiences running Redgate, which hosts between 300 to 400 attendees every show, co-founder Dylan Fox said. Fox said he and the other owners have communicated closely with the group throughout the process.

“They really want to soak up as much wisdom from us as they can so they can do their best to continue on what we started at this house,” Fox said. “It’s great to see and I’m so happy that people are living here next year that actually really see the value in what we’re doing and want to continue it specifically in their own way.”

The new owners have decided to rename the venue “Dazed” but refuse to remove the red gate, which Hoffman called an “iconic symbol.”

“We talked to the owner when we were touring the house… and he told us how his wife was the one who put up the gate around 15 years ago, so it’s like a special place in their hearts,” Hoffman said. “They actually live right across the street, so they see it every morning, and they wanna keep it. We’re not gonna repaint or mess with it.”

The new owners also plan to continue Redgate’s tradition of bringing local musicians to its basement and local vendors to its first floor, where Vachani said she has met a vast group of people.

“You connect with people through the music, and then you go upstairs and you’re connecting with people socially,” Vachani said.

Hoffman added that Redgate’s inclusivity allowed her to meet many friends during her freshman year. She said Redgate has cultivated a “really great community” of people who are interested in music.

“There’s no classification for what group you need to be in or social scene you need to be a part of to come, you just have to have $10 and a good time,” Fox said.

In April 2023, Redgate became one of the first house show venues in Syracuse to connect to the Greek life community through Phi Kappa Theta’s spring philanthropy event, Walnutpalooza. Fox said he was grateful to Phi Kappa Theta for wanting to “bridge that gap” between the two communities.

The new owners said they are looking forward to forming connections with the musicians and artists, as well as other house show owners around the city.

“I’ve always loved music so much and being on the other side and bringing that to other people that’s fulfilling,” Martins said.

One of Redgate’s initial goals, Fox said, was to emphasize consistency, which he had identified as an issue in other venues. In its almost two years on campus, Redgate has held nearly 40 shows.

To prepare for new ownership, Fox said the current owners are looking to slowly phase out the venue, with a decrease from 15 shows last semester to eight this semester, focusing on quality over quantity.

In the fall, Hoffman said she wanted to start the venue “right away.” She has started reaching out to bands who have played at Redgate and other house show venues as well as previous vendors.

Hoffman hopes to continue the “classic Redgate Fridays at 10 p.m.” show schedule and will emphasize consistency.
“I’m just so happy to see the impact that we made on a bunch of people and the lasting effect that we’ve had on just all the people that come each weekend,” Fox said. “It’s just crazy to think about the amount of people that have been through our doors when this is like a house that we just live in at the end of the day.”