DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - The last time a nightclub
operated in Broadway’s Globe Theatre, it was known more for fighting
than dancing. Frequent brawls, along with gang and drug activity, earned
the nightspot a dubious reputation. That and multiple noise complaints from nearby residents helped cause the club’s eventual demise.
That is not the kind of establishment Erik Chol plans
to operate. Chol, a native of France, has embarked on a $5 million
turnaround of the Historic Core property. He hopes to open it in
November.
Chol’s venture, which he plans to call
The Globe Theatre, would span 24,347 square feet in the Garland
Building, reactivate the mezzanine balcony and reopen the Broadway
entrance to the 1913 theater. The previous occupant, Club 740, had its
patrons wait in line in a dark, dank alley.
“His goal is a wholesale rejuvenation
of the building,” said Nikola Hlady, a planner in the Elizabeth Peterson
Group office handling the proposed Globe Theatre’s entitlements. Hlady
speaks for Chol as Chol’s English is limited, he said.
Chol said he has secured 80% of the
money for the turnaround, with most of the funds coming from himself and
his family. While cosmetic improvements are underway in the theater,
full-on construction should begin this month.
In addition to upgrading the interior,
plans call for restoring the Globe Theatre marquee. Having it
illuminated at night would enhance Broadway, which 14th District City
Councilman José Huizar has made a priority through his Bringing Back
Broadway initiative. The plan includes restoring streetcar service to
the street.
Huizar asked Chol to rehabilitate and
reopen the Broadway entrance, spokesman Rick Coca said, noting that the
business would have a different focus than the troubled Club 740.
“The Globe Theatre will be just that —
a theater, with a wide range of live entertainment, from theatrical
performances to music concerts,” Coca said.
In documents filed with the city, Chol
called out the previous business operation as “irresponsible” and said
that he is committed to operating the nightclub “in a markedly different
fashion.” He pledged to work with Zoning Administration officials to
ensure that the club will not adversely affect the community.
That would be welcome news to those
who remember the past. Club 740 opened in May 2005 and initially catered
to a mostly young, hip-hop crowd. By late 2006, the club had been
referred to by then-City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo’s office as a
nuisance location because of the number of assaults that occurred
there.
Los Angeles Downtown News reported in 2009 that the Planning Department case file on Club 740 detailed dozens of violent incidents at or near the club, including fights, sexual assaults, gang activity and a 2006 homicide. The club closed in 2011.
Chol’s venture would provide one
security guard for every 75 patrons, whom the business owner described
as a “higher-end clientele.” That ratio is industry standard, but Hlady
said the security team would be flexible and adjust strategies based on
the type of event scheduled. The Globe Theatre, he said, would host top
international DJs, live performances, movie premieres and be rented out
for private events.
Chol, who ran clubs in Reims, France,
is committed to operating a safe club in which all attendees are of
legal drinking age, Hlady said.
Still, Tracy Allen, a senior lead
officer for the LAPD’s Central Division, remembers the problems from the
previous club, and is concerned about a nightlife business occupying
the vacant theater.
“I am not happy to hear that another
club will be going in there, especially considering how unhappy the
residents of the Chapman building were with the noise and chaos from the
740 Club,” she said in an email.
Hlady said the project team recently
worked with the manager of the Chapman Lofts to host a meet-and-greet,
inviting residents into the theater to speak with Chol and learn about
the project. It’s a dialogue that will continue once the venue is up and
running, he said.
“He has the utmost interest in
existing harmoniously with the neighboring residents and businesses,”
Hlady said. “Mr. Chol aims to attract a respectful and engaged
clientele, not those that wish to cause trouble and ruckus.”
The fact that the historic theater
will return to life is a positive for the neighborhood, said Los Angeles
Historic Theater Foundation coordinator Michelle Gerdes. She said she
was pleased to hear that the Broadway entrance would be reopened and
that Chol plans to maintain the historic integrity of the theater.
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