UPDATE: Popular wedding venue abruptly closes -- a month early

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JERSEY CITY - One of the state's most sought-after wedding venues is abruptly closing its doors until at least next spring.

Battello, located on the Newport waterfront, will serve its last customers on Sept. 15 for what is being described as "standard repairs" needed to be done on the pier where the restaurant is located.

On May 25, the restaurant that opened in 2014 was notified by its landlord -- Newport Marine Holdings LLC -- that certain parts of the pier were "not deemed secure" and the patio area and parking lot needed to be shut down, Batello's owner Cory Checket wrote in a letter to customers.

Checket wrote at that time that the restaurant did not have access to reports from Newport Marine Holding's engineers and said Battello would work with its customers to "accommodate and mitigate any inconvenience that this unfortunate situation has caused."

But on Thursday Battello said it was "verbally" notified by the Newport Marine Holdings that the restaurant should plan to cease operations as early as mid-September for "construction," according to a letter sent to customers from Batello's lawyer Michael Orozco.

A search for Newport Marine Holdings LLC generates no hits, including on the state's business records website.

But a spokesperson for Newport Marina said the pier is owned by Newport Associates Development Company -- despite previously stating it was owned by Newport Marine Holdings. She said the pier is "undergoing reconstruction and repair" and access is limited "in the interest of public safety."

Both the Department of Environmental Protection and Jersey City's building department have no records of any instability at the pier.

In a statement to The Jersey Journal, Checket said he was "devastated" by the temporary closure.

"I am devastated by the news, especially for how it affects all of our clients who had chosen us for their special occasion, as well as our hardworking staff who will be without employment during the course of construction," he said. "Our landlord has made all representations that they plan to do right by Battello ensuring our reopening this upcoming spring. We are working tirelessly to help our clients however possible in finding alternative venues for their imminent engagements."

Battello is refunding all of its customers and working to help them to find new wedding venues -- some with less than six weeks notice. It's also not booking any events until the restaurant staff is given a definitive answer on when it can reopen.

With views on the New York skyline, the restaurant has been named one of the most wildly extravagant wedding venues and a semi-finalist for the state's best Italian restaurant by NJ Advance Media.

Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.