A mainstay of Washington D.C.’s electronic music community has discontinued operations after a 10-year run. U Street Music Hall has announced that it must close immediately due to costs incurred on account of the COVID-19 crisis.

“There is no easy way to say this, but here we go: It is with tremendous sadness that we share with you today that U Street Music Hall is closing effective immediately,” reads a passage of the club’s October 5th statement. “When we closed our doors to the public this past March, just days before we were to celebrate our club’s 10-year anniversary, none of us could have imagined at the time that we would still be closed nearly seven months later with no return date in sight because of an unrelenting disease called COVID-19.”

U Street Music Hall (often called “U Hall” for short) opened for business on March 17th, 2010. Its founders, Jesse Tittsworth and Will Eastman, installed a Martin Audio speaker system to be the centerpiece of the venue. U Hall’s no-frills nightlife environment made it a favorite among D.C. music aficionados, as did headliners like Joy Orbison, Nina Kraviz and Hudson Mohawke.

Prior to the announcement, acts like Squarepusher, Fleetmac Wood and OSHUN were billed for events throughout the remainder of 2020.

U Hall’s owners closed out their statement with a call to action for the creative community. “Keep supporting music and the arts,” it read. “Donate. Make music of your own. Share it. Build a community. Buy your favorite club or artist’s merch. Share their work with friends. Contact your legislators so other independent venues and promoters have a fighting chance to make it to the other side of this pandemic.”