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The Agora name will remain on the building at 5000 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. But Peabody's DownUnder owner Chris Zitterbart is moving his shows to the venerable complex because of Cleveland State University plans to raze his East 21st St. building for new construction.

Peabody's DownUnder is moving its shows to the historic Agora Theatre complex, but the Agora will retain the name.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Agora has been, is and will remain a part of this city's rock 'n' roll history.

With that in mind, Agora founder Henry LoConti Sr. stressed that the reported move of Peabody's DownUnder to the Agora Complex at 5000 Euclid Ave., isn't really a move of owner Chris Zitterbart's Peabody's but a move of Peabody's shows, starting in November.

The shift became necessary when Cleveland State University announced plans to raze the current home of Peabody’s, 2045 E. 21st St., to build a health innovation center.

“He’s got like 30 shows booked till the end of the year, and they have been transferred here,’’ said LoConti. “He’s coming in here and he’s going to be running the shows, but he’s going to work with us and we’re going to work with him.’’

Zitterbart, in a separate interview, said that while he was sad to leave behind the venue he's owned for eight years, he's excited about the opportunities that lie ahead.

"That location had some good things and some bad things,'' Zitterbart said. "Parking was tough and the bathrooms weren't great, but it it had a great vibe.

"The Agora Theatre is my favorite venue in Cleveland,'' he said. "Being able to help bring that room back is very exciting.''

Another plus is what the Agora offers bands themselves in terms of amenities to parking for tour buses and equipment trailers. Having both the smaller Agora Ballroom and the larger Agora Theatre also will allow him to "grow'' bands from one room to another.

"That's a major plus for me,'' said Zitterbart.

The first official Peabody's show at the Agora will be on Saturday, Oct. 26, when Mushroomhead does its annual hometown Halloween gig.

James Haviland, executive director of MidTown Cleveland, Inc., the non-profit that has ownership of the Agora, did not immediately respond to a request for information.

“Peabody’s is not coming here,’’ said LoConti. “The shows are coming here. The Peabody’s name is not going to be put on the sign. The shows are going to be at the Agora, period.’’

LoConti said that he, too, has shows booked at the historic former opera house and movie theater. That translates to a very busy season at the corner of Euclid Avenue and East 55th Street.

“In November and December, we’re going to be open almost every day,’’ said LoConti.

LoConti noted that Zitterbart is part of the Cleveland Music Club Coalition, which came together to fight the city’s 8 percent tax on live music, and has proven a worthy ally. That conviviality may be part of why this new alliance can work.

“Chris is a very good operator,’’ said LoConti, who sees this as a positive move in the long run.

“It’s going to help the live music scene because you have a really tough place down there [at the current home of Peabody’s],’’ said LoConti. “After [the musicians] load in their buses and trucks, there’s no place to put them. [Zitterbart] had a room that’s kind of congested in the way that it was built because it was never built to be a live entertainment club.’’

Ultimately, the winners will be Zitterbart’s former, current and future customers, LoConti said. Improvements at the Agora, including a just-completed update of the heating system, and parking will see to that.

“His customers are going to be a lot more comfortable,’’ said LoConti. “Everything in general will make going to at show a better experience.’’

"I looked at a lot of options,'' said Zitterbart, when asked why he eventually chose to relocate his shows to the Agora. Ultimately, it was his love for the city, his relationship with LoConti and Cleveland City Council's decision to ease some of the burden of the admissions tax that made the decision easier.

And he has no plans to relocate again.

"As of right now, there are no plans to do that,'' Zitterbart said. "I just want to make sure that we make the Agora as good as it can be.''