New tenants and familiar nightlife players hope to bring a taste of Chicago to the former Club New York space in the basement of the Lumber Exchange Building in downtown Minneapolis. The new nightspot will be called the Exchange and Alibi Lounge.
Inspired by the popular Windy City nightclub the Underground, the dual-concept club and lounge will occupy the 10,000-square-foot space beneath the Pourhouse.
Jacob "JT" Toledo of Borough/Parlour and Coup d'etat has partnered with nightclub vet Deepak Nath and landlord Ken Sherman for a place for revelers to go after graduating from the Pourhouse's party bar scene.
"We're not trying to eat our own lunch," said Nath, co-owner of the Pourhouse.
Toledo is a partner in Jester Concepts, which, since opening Borough and Parlour in 2013, has become one of the Twin Cities' fastest-growing restaurant and bar groups.
Nath is no stranger to the club world, as a former owner of Envy, Bootleggers and Fahrenheit. The nightlife impresario sold Envy in 2011, a year before both it and Bootleggers closed under pressure from the city.
The new project will be divided into two sides, the smaller Alibi Lounge — described as Parlour-meets-Oceanaire — and full-on nightclub the Exchange, Toledo said. Coup d'etat alum Tomas Iniguez will helm the bar program at martini-centric Alibi, which will also feature an oyster bar and small food menu.
The space has been completely gutted and both sides will feature DJ booths and white marble tile floors from its days as a Turkish bathhouse. The Chicago-based architect who worked on the Underground is handling the design.
