Yesterday was the final day of operations for The Magic Shop, the New York recording studio that has played host to, among many others, the late David Bowie. Bowie used the studio for his final two albums, including his farewell record, Blackstar.

After opening the studio in 1988, Steve Rosenthal saw artists like The Rolling Stones, Lou Reed, Arcade Fire, Sonic Youth, Coldplay and more come through its doors. As NME reports, Rosenthal has said that gentrification is a “major factor” in his being forced studio.

In a farewell post on The Magic Shop’s Facebook last month, Rosenthal thanked the artists, including Bowie, who have recorded at his studio, along with his family and the studio’s staff. He also mentioned Dave Grohl, who featured the studio in the Foo Fighters documentary Sonic Highways and who tried unsuccessfully to buy and save the studio last year.

As a sign off to the note, Rosenthal shared his thoughts about the changing landscape of the city:

One last thing, I get that New York City is always changing and adapting like the living city it is. Maybe what I believe in is no longer of value, but it was for us and we lived it.

As the city becomes more of a corporate and condo island, some of us wish for a better balance between money and art, between progress and preservation, and we hope that one day we will see a reversal of the destruction of conscience and community we are witnessing.

Or maybe not…

After all I’m just a guy from The Bronx.

See the full note below.