Heard Entertainment LLC, managed by Empire Control Room & Garage proprietor Stephen Sternschein, has been evicted from the Garage, at 604 E. Seventh, for holdover.
606 Holdings LLC, which owns the property, sent Sternschein a notice to vacate, obtained by the Chronicle, on May 30. Heard Entertainment did not vacate the property. This status, known as holdover, was cited in a late June judgment that was officially finalized this week.
The eviction judgment gave Heard Entertainment an appeal window of five days from its June signing, setting an appeal bond at $25,668.00. Sternschein did not appear in court at the time – nor did his legal counsel, nor any other members of Heard Entertainment. The appeal window has since closed, and Empire’s website is no longer accessible.
Both Sternschein and representatives for 606 Holdings declined to comment on the matter.
Sternschein was locked out of the adjoining Control Room, located at 606 E. Seventh, in April due to nonpayment of rent. Shows continued for a time at the outdoor Garage, pending an ownership dispute in the court.
This is the latest installment in a series of legal battles between Sternschein, previous business partners, and 606 Holdings, detailed in a January Chronicle cover story. Since then, disputes further intensified between Heard Entertainment and landlords 606 Holdings over ownership and operations of Empire Control Room & Garage, and the land-owning LLC.
Rally Austin, formerly known as Austin Economic Development Corporation, helped Heard Entertainment purchase the Garage in 2024 with a $2.2 million loan. Rally Austin remains the mortgage holder on the property and is unable to comment on its future, the organization told the Chronicle, due to ongoing legal proceedings.
This is a developing story.
