Work set to begin on downtown music club

Renovations should start in the next few weeks on a 1,500-seat live music club at the intersection of Florida and Third streets. Plans are to open a House of Blues-type club that would bring in national and local performers, says developer Todd Chambers. The club doesn’t have a name yet, but it will feature two stages and a rooftop deck wrapping around the Coca-Cola sign. The downtown building has been the home of several clubs, including The Shelter, Richoux’s, Parrot Beach and Dante’s. Scott Ritter, the architect who is designing the bar, says the plan is to make big changes to break with the past. “This will be more intimate, more VIP,” he says. Chambers has had a lease on the building for several years, but says he was waiting for more downtown development before going ahead with the project. “The timing was not right,” he says. “But now a lot of smaller clubs are starting to come in.” Chambers and Ritter say they hope to open the first phase of the club in the next few months. That will involve the rooftop deck and an intimate lounge on the second floor. The larger first floor performance area will open a few months later.—T.B.