When Houston’s reigning LGBTQ+ nightclub South Seashore shut its doorways in 2018, it was supposed to stay closed for simply two years for a much-needed renovation. When the pandemic hit, nonetheless, proprietor Charles Armstrong—affectionately referred to by many as “the Mayor of Montrose”—determined to postpone the membership’s reopening because of security considerations. This Friday, after a break of over 4 years, the celebrated membership is lastly reopening.
“The rework was already 80 p.c completed in spring 2020 when COVID occurred,” mentioned Armstrong, who can also be the steward of neighboring JR’s Bar & Grill, Houston’s oldest frequently operated LGBTQ+ bar, in a press release. “We remained closed as we waited for almost all of the inhabitants to turn out to be vaccinated for defense in opposition to COVID. Two years in the past, we had been in uncharted territory, and I had an ethical drawback packing a dance ground full of individuals in the midst of a well being disaster.”
Disaster apart, the brand new South Seashore was definitely worth the wait. When the membership initially opened in 2001, the part of Montrose that it calls dwelling was decidedly much less posh than it’s at present. Its new design, which may greatest be described as Restoration {Hardware} meets Miami Vice, displays the altering demographics of the neighborhood and is impressed by the proliferation of upscale lodging which have sprung up within the space in recent times. Whereas the previous South Seashore sported industrial interiors that had been stiffer than its drinks (and from private expertise, we will attest that the drinks had been certainly fairly stiff), the brand new South Seashore incorporates a up to date inside harking back to an upscale condominium—one which fortunately nonetheless gives beneficiant pours.
For the rework, Armstrong enlisted award-winning designer John Robinson of Houston-based Robinson & Associates, who beforehand labored with Armstrong on the look of now-defunct LGBTQ+ lounge Meteor. For South Seashore 2.0, Robinson deployed high-end supplies like mahogany, Carrara marble, black granite, and oak flooring to present the house a heat, residential look. To ensure the heat received’t be confused for quaintness, Robinson positioned within the heart of the dance ground a brand new, 450-pound, 8-foot quartz crystal chandelier that, after all, rotates inside a 14-foot truss immediately over the dance ground—a pièce de résistance so luminous it could make Liberace pivot to essentially the most main of keys.
South Seashore has additionally been upgraded with the most recent in sound and lighting expertise, which can assist give the house main house-party vibes. Additionally returning are the nightclub’s well-known ice jets, which when triggered spray clouds of chilly and foggy air onto the dance ground—and in so doing lower the house’s temperature by 20 levels right away (whereas additionally offering cowl for a stolen kiss or two).
“Expertise could have modified the way in which folks do issues, however the human want for life-affirming celebrations, full with ice jets spraying out a thick cloud of air, stays the identical,” mentioned Armstrong reasonably cheekily of South Seashore’s new tech however age-old mission. “Folks wish to be collectively, and I’m going to present them simply that with the final word home celebration.”
