Cat’s Cradle

In the chronology

Storyline about this site, with a page of its own:

• The Cat’s Cradle and the “Chapel Hill sound” of the 1990s 35 events

1. 1969 The Cat's Cradle opens in Chapel Hill Cat's Cradle opened in 1969 as a tiny basement music club near the UNC campus, named for Kurt Vonnegut's novel. After moves within Chapel Hill it settled at 300 East Main Street in Carrboro in 1993, where it became a regular stop for touring acts. Chapel Hill Historical Society: Cat's Cradle, 300 East Main Street
2. By April 1973 Cat's Cradle reopens on West Rosemary Street Cat's Cradle, run by Marcia Wilson and Bill Smith, reopened by April 1973 on Rosemary Street in Chapel Hill and advertised that summer at 405½ West Rosemary Street. The club had been on Rosemary Street before, in rooms behind the Burger Chef, from at least 1970 until its landlord evicted it around the end of 1971, and it stayed closed for more than a year. The Chapel Hill Historical Society places its very first home in a small basement near campus. The Daily Tar Heel, July 26, 1973, p. 4 · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, August 28, 1973, p. 32; Chapel Hill Historical Society: 300 East Main Street; Open Orange: Cat's Cradle; The Daily Tar Heel, March 25, 1971, p. 4; The Daily Tar Heel, November 7, 1972, p. 8; The Daily Tar Heel, February 5, 1973, p. 14; The Daily Tar Heel, April 9, 1973, p. 3; The Daily Tar Heel, November 21, 1988, p. 4; The Daily Tar Heel, September 1, 1983, p. 17; The Daily Tar Heel, September 28, 1983, p. 2
3. August 4, 1983 Rhythm Alley opens in the former Cat's Cradle on Rosemary Street Rhythm Alley, a live music bar owned by artist and musician Judy Hammond, opened on August 4, 1983, in the Rosemary Street room that had been the Cat's Cradle, with Dave Olney and the X-Rays playing the first night. Hammond repainted the room, replaced its church-like pews with tables to widen the dance floor and booked music from bluegrass and Irish folk to rock and reggae, and the Red Clay Ramblers sold out two shows in August. The Daily Tar Heel, September 1, 1983, p. 17
4. By August 28, 1986 Frank Heath buys Cat's Cradle David Robert and his partners sold the Chapel Hill club, then at 320 West Franklin Street, to Frank Heath and Richard Fox over the summer of 1986, and the new owners worked on its acoustics and seating before reopening it on September 9. Heath became sole owner in 1987 and still runs the club. People: Frank Heath NC Arts Council: Hip History: Cat's Cradle Is Still Rocking After 50 Years · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, August 28, 1986, p. 13
5. November 8, 1986 Cat's Cradle holds an all-day benefit for WXYC with a lineup of local bands From 2 p.m. to past midnight the Chapel Hill club presented Snatches of Pink, the Graphic, the Connells, the Swamis, Necessary Friction, Light in August, Other Bright Colors, Satellite Boyfriend, HEGE V and the Flat Duo Jets, with Rick Rock closing, to raise money for the student radio station. Part-owner Richard Fox, a former WXYC chief engineer, recorded the sets for a 90-minute cassette of two songs per band, plus two from Let's Active, to be sold to buy new equipment for the station. People: Frank Heath The Daily Tar Heel, November 10, 1986, p. 4
6. January 1988 The Skylight Exchange opens in the old Cat's Cradle building on West Rosemary Street Dennis Gavin opened the Skylight Exchange, a cafe and used book and record store with live music and no alcohol, in the West Rosemary Street building that had housed the Cat's Cradle for 14 years and then the Rhythm Alley club, cutting five skylights into the windowless room with co-owner John Howell. It grew out of Gavin's Fair Exchange store in Carrboro. The Daily Tar Heel, March 23, 1990, p. 6
7. September 1, 1988 Cat's Cradle closes its club at 320 West Franklin Street The Cat's Cradle left 320 West Franklin Street when its lease ran out on September 1, 1988, after owner Frank Heath was told the lease would not be renewed and the rent would rise from $816 to $2,000 a month; investors planned to buy the building and turn the space into offices. Heath said he was looking for at least 2,000 square feet elsewhere. In January 1989 the Downtown Commission found the club temporary space in the vacant former Southern Bell building on West Franklin Street. People: Frank Heath The Daily Tar Heel, September 8, 1988, p. 16 · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, January 18, 1989, p. 1
8. February 10, 1989 Cat's Cradle opens at 206 West Franklin Street After its lease ran out on September 1, 1988, at 320 West Franklin Street, the small room known as the shoebox, the club held its grand reopening on February 10, 1989 at 206 West Franklin Street, its fourth location, where it stayed until 1993. People: Frank Heath The Daily Tar Heel, February 15, 1989, p. 1 · Also: The Daily Tar Heel, January 18, 1989, p. 1; Chapel Hill Historical Society: Cat's Cradle, 300 East Main Street; Open Orange: Cat's Cradle
9. June 25, 1991 Hundreds brawl on West Franklin Street after a dance night at the Cat's Cradle About 3 a.m., as some 400 people left the Club Vogue dance night at the Cat's Cradle, a melee broke out on West Franklin Street that police put at as many as 800 people; shotgun blasts were fired at cars near Hardee's and Tarheel Textbooks, two people were beaten, and Hardee's closed. Town Manager Cal Horton called it outrageous, police said reports of weapons and group attacks downtown had risen over two years, and the club's owner said he would stop Club Vogue until he had talked with police. People: Cal Horton The Daily Tar Heel, June 27, 1991, p. 1
10. by July 8, 1991 Town manager cuts the Cat's Cradle's occupancy limit, then holds off enforcing it After the June 25 melee Town Manager Cal Horton cut the Cat's Cradle's occupancy limit from 558 to 212 under the ordinance requiring one parking space for every four occupants. At the July 8 Town Council meeting about 20 of the club's patrons opposed the limit, council member Art Werner called it inappropriate, and Horton agreed to hold off enforcing it while the Board of Adjustment heard the club's appeal; the council also turned down Horton's plan to let police enforce parking bans in private lots, which several West Franklin Street businesses had requested. People: Cal Horton, Frank Heath The Daily Tar Heel, July 11, 1991, p. 3
11. October 4, 1991 Nirvana plays Cat's Cradle Nirvana played the club's West Franklin Street room ten days after the release of Nevermind; Pearl Jam also played the Cradle in 1991, to about 100 people. NC Arts Council: Hip History: Cat's Cradle Is Still Rocking After 50 Years
12. July 6, 1992 Chapel Hill Town Council approves the Pavilion on Franklin on the Cat's Cradle site On July 6, 1992, the Chapel Hill Town Council voted 5 to 2 to grant a special-use permit for The Pavilion on Franklin, a five-story mixed-use building at West Franklin and Church streets on the site of the Cat's Cradle, and amended the town's transportation management plan to drop 154 of 185 required parking spaces in favor of trolley use, leased carpool spaces, bicycles and bus passes. Julie Andresen and Roosevelt Wilkerson voted no and former council member R.D. Smith warned that the lack of parking would hurt downtown. People: R. D. Smith The Daily Tar Heel, July 9, 1992, p. 4

Open these in the chronology →