Heavy metal fans rejoice as rundown bar known as birthplace of rock genre is saved from developers

nypost.com:

Ozzy Osbourne’s Black Sabbath first wailed on their guitars in public — has been designated an important historic building after 15,000 people signed a petition calling for the building and surrounds to be saved from redevelopment.

Birmingham, England’s scruffy second city, may not get much attention from outside the country, but the brawling industrial burg changed rock music forever in the 1970s when the likes of Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest and Ozzy & Co.

crashed their way on the scene. At the heart of that seismic shift was The Crown, a pub that to the naked eye might look like so many others, but in its heyday was ground zero for a local phenomenon that would quickly go global.The time-worn watering hole welcomed the likes of The Who, Status Quo, Duran Duran, Thin Lizzy, Marc Bolan, Supertramp and more early on in their careers, but it’s most often referred to as the venue where Ozzy’s Black Sabbath — going by the much tamer name “Earth” back then — played their first gig, on a stage that’s still there.Die-hard fans and music history lovers have been fretting over the building’s future for nearly ten years now, but a recent announcement of a “Grade II Listed” designation — subjecting the city center structure to special protections — appears to have assured its legacy.

The building was granted the status by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of Historic England, SWNS first reported.“The Crown is a one-of-a-kind building with history written in its walls,” said Louise Brennan, Historic England regional director for the Midlands.“It’s a Birmingham cultural landmark…heavy metal is a gift Birmingham gave to the world and The Crown is an integral part of that story,” she said. “Cities all over the UK.