[2] Its current incarnation was opened in 1992 by the Ballinger brothers, with a capacity of 1,400, providing its traditional role as well as for corporate events, and for a recording studio.

[9] Webster Hall was built in 1886 by architect Charles Rentz in the Queen Anne style and topped with an elaborate mansard roof.

The first decade or so of Webster Hall's existence saw it host countless labor union rallies, weddings, meetings, lectures, dances, military functions, concerts, fundraisers and other events, particularly those focused on the working-class and immigrant population of the surrounding Lower East Side neighborhood.

Although it also hosted many high-society functions catering to the uppertens of the city, the hall earned a reputation as a gathering place for leftist, socialist, Anarchist and labor union activity very early on.

In 1912, Emma Goldman, the outspoken exponent of Anarchism, free love and birth control, led a march that brought the children of striking Lawrence, Massachusetts millworkers to the hall for a meal in order to dramatize the struggles of the working class.

In 1916, it was used as the strike headquarters for the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union; in 1920 meetings of the Sacco and Vanzetti Defense Committee were also held at Webster Hall.

Nicknamed the "Devil's Playhouse" by the socialist magazine The Masses, Webster Hall became particularly known for the wilder and more risque events of the time; Marcel Duchamp, Joseph Stella, Man Ray, Francis Picabia, Charles Demuth, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Langston Hughes, Bob Brown, and many other notables regularly attended events there during this time.

Local politicians and police were said to turn a blind eye to the activities; at one time it was rumored that the venue was owned by the mobster Al Capone.

In 1992, the Ballinger brothers (Lon, Stephen, Douglas, and Peter) from Toronto unveiled the restored Webster Hall, featuring state of the art audio, video, and lighting technology with the original color scheme recreated.

[12] From 1993-1997, and starting again in 2008 through today, Gerard McNamee has been the director[13] of Webster Hall, hiring all of the current staff members and guiding the club through its most prestigious period.

[18] Since taking their concert bookings in house for all events starting in August 2014, Webster Hall has gone on to present acts such as Charli XCX, Tove Lo, Buzzcocks, Clean Bandit, Wiz Khalifa, American Football, Bleachers, CocoRosie, James, MØ, Gus Dapperton, Chet Faker, Modern Baseball, Metallica, Green Day, Lenny Kravitz, Faith No More, LCD Soundsystem, JoJo, Good Charlotte, Capital Cities, and Yo La Tengo amongst others.

[25] In July 2017, Gerard McNamee, the club's director, officially announced that the venue would close after the final show on August 9, 2017, and that it had been purchased by Brooklyn Sports Entertainment.