Altar Bar to close in August

Pittsburgh will soon be without one of its most popular concert venues.

According to a report from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Altar Bar in the Strip District will be sold to the non-denominational Orchard Hill Church. The sale is expected to be completed by July 31, the same day the Altar Bar will hold its final concert.

Mike Pitterich, Altar Bar owner, wants to sell the nightclub to help fund the construction of a new steel mill in Valparaiso, Indiana, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pitterich currently owns Col-Fin Specialty Steel in New Brighton, Pennsylvania, and Union Drawn Steel in Hamilton, Ontario. Altar Bar officially confirmed the sale on its Facebook page Thursday afternoon.

“First and foremost, we would like to sincerely thank everyone for ten great years of business,” the post said.  “Our team feels honored and grateful to have been a part of such growth in Pittsburgh’s live music scene.”

In the Facebook announcement, Altar Bar says it is “on a search for a new home,” inviting “property owners who embrace live music” to contact them about potential concert venues.

“We would like thank all patrons, artists, & music lovers that have attended AltarBar,” Drusky Entertainment, the club’s promoter, tweeted.  “It’s been a crazy 10 years.”

Altar Bar plans to host concerts at other Pittsburgh venues such as the Rex Theatre, Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall and the Smiling Moose, beginning August 1.