The Punch Line has received an unexpected lifeline from Google, the tech giant that was reportedly the reason behind the comedy club’s impending move from its space on Battery Street.

Just two days after a rally on the steps of San Francisco City Hall to #SavethePunchLine that featured famed comic Dave Chappelle, dozens of local comedians — including W. Kamau Bell and Nato Green — and Supervisor Aaron Peskin, Google is now saying it’s ready to join forces to keep the venue open.

“The Punch Line has been a key part of San Francisco’s culture and community for 40 years,” read a statement emailed to The Chronicle from a Google spokesperson on Thursday, May 23. “As a neighbor, Google is committed to trying to find a way for the Punch Line to remain a vibrant part of the Bay Area community for years to come.”

When Live Nation, which operates the comedy club, announced earlier this month it could not renew the Punch Line’s lease and would have to find a new home by August, it had been assumed it was because the space would be taken over by Google.

“The comedy community quickly connected the leasing of One Maritime Plaza by ‘Do No Evil’ Mountain View-based tech company Google with the impending eviction,” Peskin stated in a press release before Tuesday’s rally.

But Google denies the claim, as first reported by the San Francisco Examiner. Instead, Google confirmed to The Chronicle, it is leasing portions of both the 25-story tower and one-story annex at One Maritime Plaza — but not the comedy club itself, which is housed in the annex.

“Google is absolutely open to participating in conversations with city officials and the community regarding the preservation of the Punch Line,” according to Google’s statement.

CBRE San Francisco, which manages One Maritime Plaza, had no comment when reached by phone Thursday.

In the meantime, Live Nation is continuing its search “for a home for the Punch Line, whether in our present location or somewhere else,” said Andrea Sherman, marketing manager for the club and Cobb’s Comedy Club on Columbus Avenue.

Peskin said he still plans to move forward with proposing a measure that would prevent any non-nightclub use of the Punch Line space. It will be brought before the city’s Land Use Committee on June 3 and voted on by the Board of Supervisors on June 4.

“I have been in direct and productive communication with Google Real Estate specifically about the Punch Line site at One Maritime Plaza, and I am cautiously optimistic about future developments,” Peskin said Thursday. “Either way, the clock is ticking on the Punch Line’s current lease, so I am pushing forward with my Punch Line Preservation legislation.”

Updates re: community's efforts to #SaveThePunchLine coming soon. My #PunchlinePreservationAct will be heard June 3rd at Land Use Cmmttee then voted on at @sfbos June 4th. Thanks to @natogreen @wkamaubell & comic community esp #DaveChappelle 4 standing up 4 comedy on & off stage. pic.twitter.com/75qQVuCFco — Aaron Peskin (@AaronPeskin) May 22, 2019