The Putnam Den
Saratoga Springs will soon become home to a mid-sized music venue — something I’d say the city is sorely lacking, and will be a great addition to night life in the city.
Residents Jonathan Albert and Tiffany Scaringe are currently renovating the building that once played host to Backstreet Billiards, on Putnam Street, and say they hope to have a soft opening at the joint, which will be called Putnam Den, July 3. The event will serve as an 80’s post-party for the Def Leppard, Poison and Cheap Trick show at SPAC, they said.
Long-term, the idea is to attract a bevy of regional and national acts, and to spotlight local talent on Thursday nights. The place can hold up to 400 people, and there will be a nice-sized patio outside, as well, they said when I stopped by earlier this week.
The place is still largely under construction, but the owners are getting local artists to paint depictions of Saratoga Springs of yore — including a giant image of the Grand Hotel — and will install gallery lighting so other local art can be put on display.
Albert and Scaringe are also planning to plant a host of comfortable couches, bucket seats and chairs in the place, have board games available for day-time use and bring in a few pool tables. As an added bonus, they’re going to be serving Esperanto’s food.
You can read more about this and several other developments occurring downtown — believe me, there are a lot of them — in tomorrow’s edition.
– Drew Kerr
