inside ‘versus l.a.’ nightclub: the historic stock exchange
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As the October 11th opening date of Versus Nightclub draws near, construction is kicking into overdrive at the former home of the Los Angeles Stock Exchange on Spring Street. Build-out on six new bars over three levels continues while a premium sound system undergoes testing on the main dance floor.
Owner Versus Nightlife has spent nearly four months on the renovation and historic restoration project. Marble staircases and walls, stained glass windows, and Art Deco-style lighting fixtures are all original to the building. During the renovation, nearly 50 truck-sized Dumpsters were filled with debris from the venue’s previous nightclub iteration.
Director of Marketing Nico Bacigalupo said the operators are interested in working with the community. “We’re not just coming into some ratty old building and putting a club in it.”
Most notably, after receiving feedback via the comments regarding historic bronze doors that were spray-painted gold, Versus tells angelenic they will have the doors restored by an LA-based historic preservation group as a show of good faith.
It remains to be seen how the issues of noise and vibration will play with nearby loft buildings on a stretch of Spring Street that has undergone a residential transformation since the last time the venue was used to host dance parties and binge drinkers.
Still, at least one local landlord is glad to see an entertainment venue of this caliber in the neighborhood. Eric Shomof of Pacific Investments, which owns the adjacent City Lofts and several other nearby residential buildings, has met with Versus Nightlife and is pleased with initial talks. “They seem to me like they know what they are doing and are taking all of the necessary precautions to limit the amount of noise and disturbances to their neighbors.”
Versus LA Nightclub
618 S Spring Street (Los Angeles Stock Exchange Building)
Opens October 11, 2008 (October 25 if delays ensue)
Los Angeles, CA 90014
versusla.com
37 comments
a night club owner with a heart… wow
This building is so beautiful. I’m excited about the restoration, but worried about the crowd it will bring.
You think these guys don’t know that they are surronded by a bunch of residential buildings? It seems to me like these guys are really smart. They chose an amazing block that is under going a lot and an amazing building that is a huge LA historic monument. These guys will most likely work with the community to do everything they can to provide security everywhere and keep the noise level to a minimum. They know that this place was known for a problematic nightclub with a really bad reputation before they got it. I think that’s the last thing they want people to think about this place. I really think, and hope these guys will succeed.
wow. looks much nicer than when i was last in there a few years ago…
it’s stunning. glad he’s restoring the doors. i’ll def. be there!
This club will put downtown in even higher contention with Hollywood as the best hot spot in LA. Fantastic!
“They seem to me like they know what they are doing and are taking all of the necessary precautions to limit the amount of noise and disturbances to their neighbors.”
They painted the historic front doors with gold spray paint! They clearly don’t know what they are doing..
I am very curious about the DJ lineup they are envisioning. If it’s along the same lines as the Giant events at Vanguard I am so there!
Maybe I’m being a bit of a Pollyanna…but I think its cool that they are going to remove the gold paint on the doors. I live down the street and will check it out once they open.
OHH great space. Hope the venues music vary as I’m not a fan of the circuit music (Sh1ts and Giggles sometimes but fun otherwise) or the Tiesto type music scene.
Cant a guy hear some Blondie, the Rapture or even gasp some pop dance stuff.
Victor: Wednesdays are Latin/contemporary, Fridays are Hip Hop, Saturdays are House and there will be other types of performances at various points in the week.
Did I miss the public hearing on the transfer of the state alcohol permit? I do not recall any recent public notice postings on the building. Did the prior permit include weeknight operation? What kind of soundproofing improvements have been made?
I’m not saying impossible, just that no one has done a good job of operating a nightclub there in the 30 months I’ve lived next door.
Has the 740 Club totally shut down?
After reading this and the other Versus Club thread I gotta say…
The NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) mindset is more understandable when ‘community development’ projects are toxic industries -like an incinerator or landfill.
Some communities get nightclubs made of marble while others get the “nearly 50 truck-sized Dumpsters filled with debris”, or our electronic waste, or junked cars or prisons. Be glad! Be Very Glad!! We get the jobs, tax revenues and the sheer beauty of the ‘fun industry’ (including the noise), instead of the jobs, tax revenues and sheer ugliness (including the noise) of ‘no fun industries’!
When times are good… complaining about (clean) community development in the entertainment complex is a luxury best served spoiled. When times are bad… the spoiled have the luxury of complaining.
“It seems to me like these guys are really smart”
Yeah so smart they spraypainted the doors gold and only backed out on that when there was a public outcry.
And they’re going to be open on Wednesdays? OMG that’s just peachy. So pretty soon they’ll be running a club every night but Monday?
OK…so how long do we have to wait before they have a gay-themed night?
obama parties at versus
it’s pretty clear : that club is going to be bottle-service breederville
House music on Saturdays?! Downtown?!! I’m blown away…. and very happy.
Does anyone know if Versus appeals to a particular crowd? Mixed crowd/punk/bottle service? It sounds like a mixed crowd bottle service similar to those in Hollywood. Can someone confirm?
what a killer space… can’t wait for the doors to open and experience it for myself along with a great mix of people… if the size of the main room is close to that of vanguard, maybe dave dean will consider bringing the star-studded lineup over to downtown, and keeping the giant events in downtown.
the place will succeed depending on the promoters that they will line themselves up with, that will determine the type of crowd that will enjoy this new venue and will hopefully respect the fact that people do live (and sleep) in the seemingly vacant buildings.
living at the chapman, next to club 740, i know this to be true.. depending on which night of the week, varies greatly on how much sleep i get…
This is going to a nice club! They are going to do everything with class, no ghettoness, no teeneyboppers, no bullshit. A breath of fresh air in my opinion. Bottle service will be highly promoted, maybe even necessary to get in for some guys.. I don’t know, we’ll see. They are definitely striving to accommodate a higher clientele. Finally something *nice* in downtown. Whenever a big city amps up nightlife in downtown areas, it always succeeds and brings the right amount of edginess and “coolness” with bomb ass music. I’m stoked personally.
How many of the posters are from the same IP address?
Ha! Believe it or not, they’re all different IPs. I just checked.
So when are you going to talk to these guys about doing a gay-night Stephen? Seems like an amazing venue…
Trust me, it’s crossed my mind.
yes, get a gay night going in this beautiful place…you know the queens will flock here to ooh and ahhh over the fixtures and design…keep the cheap Hollywood wannabees and hoochie crowd out of this place
I’m with Bullock.
It’s not rocket science to spoof an IP address.
I’m all for the club btw — better than an empty building — but please, let’s not pretend this place won’t dissolve into what it became the last time a club opened in this space.
Does anyone besides me remember how “Stock Exchange” started then ended. The started part sounds a whole like this deal.
Best of luck to them. Not my scene though. To each their own.
I asked my boyfriend who is going to be the promoter of Versus and he told me there are going to have many different kind of nights there. Vangaurd dj kinda night, Hip Hop night, Indie mix dj night, Gay night, and possible live band in the future. There is going to be bottle service. They have a team of promoters working on the schedule everyday. If anybody has ideas I can always pass along your info to him.
As lived across the street for 3 1/2 years: I will say this- thank God we are getting a place like this in downtown, considering anything close has failed miserably… 740- the alley bar between 7th and 8th that renovated the former biker/bdsm/shooters den—-they had trouble, and then had to turn to the usual downtown, salsa hosting crappolla.
As for Dave Dean- if anyone knows anything about the dance scene in LA- you would know that Vangaurd has ANYTHING but a star studded lineup anymore—-yeah he get’s Sasha and Tiesto, now and then —-but if you know the music, then you know that style has long been retired, or you haven’t really got to know the music yet. No disrespect. Try checking out act’s like Booka Shade, Modeselektor, or Axwell (house) —- They play live, and have evolved out of that late 90’s rave scene style. If Giant get’s their hands on it— That will just mean a bunch of 50yr. old Korean’s on X hugging each other….and well—-yeah. Need I say more?
Here is the flyer i did for the 7th thing, tho be sure that promo was not my intent and feel free to moderate the flyer if it seems smarmy to have it linked here. THX, great blog.
http://isodsgn.com/images/Flyers/MAJOR_400.jpg
WEIRD, this is the actual comment i posted, dunno how it eliminated anything but the promo
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snooski said it best so far, this place looks liek a real opportunity for LA to compete with the rest of the world for mega-clubness. We need something like FABRIC in london, or any one of thousands of real clubs in europe, and we need to STOP booking giant progressive trance acts that were popular in 1998, that’s not helping anyone, neither is the celebrity DJ BS in LA helping. I am playing @ Versus nov 7th with a bunch of amazing house DJs as well as the residents from MAJOR, an afterhours event we have downtown in the cuts off of spring, but right under the 10 fwy.
I can’t wait to see how the sound system holds up in this place, it looks like it was really designed to compete with the other big kid clubs in LA. Gay night would be amazing for downtown, house night amazing for downtown, VIP only hiphop parties are good for almost no one, sad to see thats what they have booked so far. I wish promoters and club owners would realize that the bottle service thing is always always a passing phase, you will have the club full of ugly rich ppl trying to impress someone, but that will end as another club opens, then you are left with some place that had a reputation at one point, but never anyone who wanted to come back, because it was all 1 off wrap parties and terribleness. Building a group of ppl who love what you book everytime can make a club full every night for 5+ years, and i think that’s better $$$ in the long run than any 3 bottle minimum clubs that have 3 months in the spotlight, and have to close. Again see: http://www.fabriclondon.com to see what has been full every night for years.
ere is the flyer i did for the 7th thing, tho be sure that promo was not my intent and feel free to moderate the flyer if it seems smarmy to have it linked here. THX, great blog. http://isodsgn.com/images/Flyers/MAJOR_400.jpg
Looking forward to the re-opening of S.E.!. I miss the place and the beautifully dressed people who were there to have FUN! and let’s not forget “T” (Todd). Hopefully this time around they made the womens restroom larger, ‘cause two stalls on the dance floor was never enough!.
I’m excited about the possibility of a decent house night in downtown, this would be better than driving to Balance at the King King every Saturday.
All I can say is “alternative house and techno”and non mainstream….music….if you need help promoting saturdays, I can help. Just don’t be another giant/ vangaurd “type” promotions. leave the bullshit to them, take the euro road and book the true rock stars of electronica.
This club is another magnet for the shallow trash of Los Angeles to show up downtown, get drunk and cause chaos in what is now a primarily residential neighborhood.
At about 11:30 PM the night of the opening of Versus, a neighbor and I were walking home from having gone to the opening of the Louise Bourgois exhibit at MOCA that same night, and the scene on the sidewalk outside Versus on the east side of Spring Street was loud, unorganized and spilling into the street. No cops or security were in sight anywhere.
On the west side of Spring Street where we were walking, a patron of the club - a caucasian in his mid-twenties in his tragically metro-sexual Ed Hardy clothes and Fedora - was standing and urinating onto the door of the dry cleaners that many of us in the neighborhood use. The urine was running across the sidewalk.
We yelled at him to stop, telling him this was our neighborhood and this kind of nonsense would not be tolerated. He started yelling at us, saying “THIS DAMNED CLUB DOESN’T GIVE YOU ANYWHERE TO PEE!”I asked him where he was from, and his response was “ORANGE F**KING COUNTY, A**HOLE! ORANGE F**KING COUNTY!”
I told him I’d love to get his address so that I can show up in the middle of the night and piss on his front door. We kept walking.
He kept yelling, “COME BACK HERE MOTHER F**KER! I DON’T NEED ANY MORE OF THIS SHIT TONIGHT! I’VE ALREADY HAD ENOUGH!”
I turned around and calmly told him, “no one is stopping you from leaving our neighborhood. Please feel free to leave.”
I see trouble with this club. This will go from bad to worse quickly.
The new security team at this club is totally in control of the crowd, last weekend was their first weekend working and i must say we did a great job. Rest assured that the club owners are taking into account the concerns here and making the necessary steps to bring in a security company that is experienced.
You pay for what you get, and the club owners of versus are not afraid to pay for a top notch security team.
Please give my team a chance to prove to you all that we are in this for the long haul, i refuse to allow this venue or my company become tainted.
Manuel Ortiz
C.M.P Security
Thank you for the comments Manuel. I live across the street from Versus and was quite surprised at how smooth the opening night appeared to be. There has been minimal street noise from patrons on event nights, even after the venue closed. I have noticed a presence of security which managed the people and traffic each night.
It’s unfortunate that Mr. Hunter encountered a urinating man, one of many found in the neighborhood both day and night. It’s unfair to peg the behavior of an obvious pig on the venue, which has no control over people once they leave the premise. Had the man been urinating within sight of the front door, I’m certain the security team would have intervened.