Iconic Coffeehouse Resumes Hosting Concerts After Upgrades

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) — The nation's oldest continuously operating coffeehouse is again hosting performances in its original space after being temporarily displaced by a renovation project.

Performances at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs were halted in June so the building that's home to the second-floor music venue could undergo more than $1 million in upgrades. During the past six months the coffeehouse's concerts were held at a newly redeveloped residential property located nearby and at other venues around Saratoga

Performances at the not-for-profit music venue resume Friday night.

The improvements include expansion of the coffeehouse's performance room from 80 to 100 seats and installing a new state-of-the-art sound system.

Caffe Lena opened in May 1960. Since then it has hosted many of folk music's biggest names, including Bob Dylan, Arlo Guthrie and Don McLean.