Endangered Spaces

Terraza 7 thought it would have to close when the building owner announced plans to raze it. But the building has changed hands and the club seems safe for now.

By Karen Zraick

You could say that stepping into Terraza 7, a tiny, eclectic and fiercely beloved music club on the border of Jackson Heights and Elmhurst, Queens, is like taking a trip to Latin America.

But that’s not exactly right. Yes, many of the patrons speak Spanish, and the rhythms you’ll hear may have originated in Central or South America. But the bar is a classic New York archetype, a remix that aims to bring together diverse musical traditions and blend them into something new.

Freddy Castiblanco, the energetic owner of the bar, sought to foster that syncretism when he opened Terraza 7 in 2002. Its name is a reference to indigenous agricultural practices as well as the 7 train, which rumbles past along Roosevelt Avenue. The bar showcases many types of folk music, jazz, salsa, cumbia and other genres.

But the club’s future had been in doubt since 2016, when the owner of the building at the time announced plans to raze it and build a high-rise.

In December of last year, after many months of anxiety, Mr. Castiblanco, 47, received some good news. The building had changed hands again and the new owner said he would keep it as it was. And he would keep the club’s rent low. Mr. Castiblanco is still waiting for a new lease, but he is cautiously optimistic.