A downtown Bangor nightclub that has been under pressure from the city to address violence and late-night noise at the property will close after 11 years in business, the owner said Tuesday.
Patrick Brann said in a Facebook post that he made the decision to close Half Acre Nightclub with “much thought and consideration, and with a heavy heart.”
“This decision doesn’t stem from local government, neighbors, or lack of success. This is a personal choice for me, as it’s time for me to move on to the next adventure,” Brann said.
The decision to close comes just two weeks after Brann announced he planned to deal with ongoing concerns about safety and noise at his nightclub by posting “no loitering” signs outside, having employees monitor patrons outside and holding office hours to hear neighbors’ noise complaints and other concerns about the business.
He was also preparing to lease the city-owned parking lot outside the dance club so club employees could oversee nightclub patrons there.
In renewing the business’ special amusement license last month, city councilors said they were prepared to rescind it if Brann didn’t come up with strategies to address the noise and other disturbances.
The property has experienced a pattern of violence and noise in recent years. On April 24, an altercation outside the nightclub escalated to one person getting shot and wounded. Another shooting took place there in August 2021, and another man was killed there in a 2020 stabbing.
Half Acre opened in 2012, in a building that has housed a series of nightclubs for more than 20 years. From 1998 to 2005, the Spectrum, a club that catered to the LGBTQ community, was located there, followed by Club Gemini, operated by Brann and his brother, Matthew, from 2005 to 2009. Club Ice operated there briefly in 2010, and the space was empty for two years before Half Acre opened.
Brann owns the building that houses Half Acre. The property, at 190 Harlow St., is also home to Diamonds Gentleman’s Club, which is under different ownership.
Neighbors in apartment buildings on Franklin and Harlow streets have long complained about noise and rowdiness from the various clubs operating there, with Bangor Daily News articles about the contentious relationship between nearby residents and club-goers stretching as far back as 2005, when Gemini opened.
