Victoria’s iconic Hermann’s Jazz Club and the entire building it occupies is up for sale. The estate of the late Hermann Nieweler, who died in June 2015, has found it has to the sell the building and by extension, the club.
Hermann’s Jazz Club has been in Victoria for 35 years hosting shows from world renowned jazz musicians all the way to local middle school jazz bands. An effort to preserve the legacy of the venue and continue to run it as a jazz club has begun with the creation of the Jazz on View Society. The society was formed to save specifically the club and they have concluded the best way to save it is to purchase the building which also was home to the short-lived Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Club in the upper floor.
The Jazz on View Society is working to raise $3-million in pledges to purchase the property and run the jazz club. Pledges would only be called when there is a deal in place, enough pledges been raised and once arrangements have been made to make donations qualify for a charitable tax receipt. The society’s mandate is to “secure the all-ages performance venue (753 View Street, Victoria, BC) and to continue its tradition of all ages live music performance, in a way that is sustainable, advances the public’s appreciation of the arts, and contributes to the commerce of the arts.”
The society is currently in negotiations with Nieweler’s estate and a fundraising concert was held Monday February 13, 2017 and raised upwards of $50,000 in pledges. It is unknown what the deadline for a possible purchase is at this time.
For more information about the Jazz on View Society and their efforts to save Hermann’s Jazz Club go to jazzonview.com or follow their progress on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
