Grocery / Brothel / Richard's / Vista Brewing Company / The Club House / Park Place Ultra Lounge: 936 Gervais Street: 2009 24 comments
Ok, I'll admit the brothel part was unexpected, but it's a comment from a rather staid planning document:
This turn-of-thc-ccntury building was originally used as a grocery downstairs and a brothel upstairs. The footprint has not changed although the existing storefront windows have been in place at least since 1990. The current owner would like to remove these windows and replace them with a folding system of windows which would visually open up the front of the building to the street for 'outdoor' dining. A front entry will still be utilized. A proposed railing will keep patrons from stepping over the sill and into the restaurant.
In more modern times, I believe this once was Dixie Used Furniture, but I would have to go back to an old phone book to verify that for sure.
Sometime in the 90s, it became a trendy brewpub, Vista Brewing Company. After that, it was The Club House (sometimes written as one word "Clubhouse"), which was also a brewpub, at least into 2004.
At some point after 2004, it became Park Place Ultra Lounge. Frankly, I've never been exactly sure what an "Ultra Lounge" is. In fact, my idea of a "lounge" doesn't lend itself to the "ultra" intensifier..
I'm not sure, but I believe that in the Park Place incarnation, beer was no longer brewed on the premises.
Park Place apparently closed this year, but I gather from the minutes of this city of Columbia planning meeting, that the ownership is not changing and that the owner plans to reopen as a restaurant after some remodeling, which was approved in the meeting. (As far as I can tell, there was no proposal to install a red light at the top of the outside stairs :-)
(Hat tip to commenter Tom)
UPDATE 15 July 2009: Added Richard's to the post title based on comments.
UPDATE 9 March 2010 -- Work seems to be going pretty slowly:
UPDATE 23 May 2010 -- Pearlz is finally open:
24 Responses to 'Grocery / Brothel / Richard's / Vista Brewing Company / The Club House / Park Place Ultra Lounge: 936 Gervais Street: 2009'
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Dennis
14 Jul 09 at 9:08 am
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If what I heard was correct, the forthcoming tenant is going to be one of TBONZ concepts, to be paired with their existing Liberty Tap Room just a couple block down the street.
Steve
14 Jul 09 at 9:12 am
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I think the Vista Brewing was owned or run by the same guy who had The Keg, I.B.'s, and a couple of the Coldstone Creameries, all since departed.
badger
14 Jul 09 at 9:19 am
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Oh, and yeah, I had heard that about TBonz, moving into the property. They have a concept in Charleston called "Pearlz" (Oyster Bar) on East Bay, and that is what I had heard was bound for this location. We'll see if that holds true.
badger
14 Jul 09 at 10:01 am
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If Tbonz wants a concept for Columbia, I say "Kaminsky's". Ten times better deserts than anything in town.
ted
14 Jul 09 at 10:26 am
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For a number of years there was an upscale restaurant that was the site of much dealmaking from the statehouse. Then in the 90's it changed to a Brew Pub (can't remember the name), then to Vista Brewing. It was The Club House for some time. The Park Place only lasted about a month before it closed. I've heard from a reliable source that it is going to be the Oyster Bar concept - although I'm not sure how the oyster bar next door will feel.
Larry
14 Jul 09 at 10:43 am
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Amen to that Ted! Kaminsky's is awesome. Love Tbonz also. I thought their double fried wings were incredible. They'd fry them up, sauce them, roll them in a light batter/flour mixture, then fry them again for a very short time and then sauce them again. Full of flavor! Then top it off with a desert next door.
jjt
14 Jul 09 at 4:35 pm
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Tbonz owns the building, from what I am told, so Oyster Bar is actually their tenant.
Steve
14 Jul 09 at 10:45 pm
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When this was The Vista Brewing Co. I used to have dinner there periodically. The dining area upstairs covered roughly 3/4 of the second floor with full service bar. The food was excellent as was the service and price. The problem I noticed was that including me and my date there were usually only two other couples occupying the largely empty dining room. I asked the waiter about this and he said look out the window at all the other restaurants in the Vista and that the competition was that fierce. When they closed my heart broke...one of the best porterhouse steaks I've had.
George
15 Jul 09 at 8:56 am
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I think a Pearlz could work, that would be awesome.
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Richard’s later moved to 828 Gervais (Liberty Taproom) @’94-‘99. It was the tenant before Billy G’s.
badger
24 Jul 09 at 10:50 am
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Wasn't that the same Richard that ran the place in Woodhill Mall in the mid eighties?
jamie
24 Jul 09 at 1:05 pm
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i think the only time i ever went here it was vista brewing and it was after my 10 year high school reunion. seemed like a decent place...
steve b
7 Aug 09 at 4:12 pm
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It is going to be a Pearlz, just like the one on East Bay in Charleston.
Jeff
25 Aug 09 at 5:15 pm
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The first comment about Richard's being in this location is incorrect; Richard's was where the Liberty Taproom is now.
Reedrow
12 Sep 09 at 2:10 am
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Actually, it was Richard's before it was Vista Brewing. Billy G's was where Liberty is now.
Melissa
5 Oct 09 at 4:03 pm
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It was "The Clubhouse" as late as around 2008. Like a previous poster said, Park Place Ultra Lounge lasted about a month. It was one of the shortest-lived bars I can ever remember.
Ryan
9 Mar 10 at 8:27 pm
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Vista Brewing was pretty good. Richard's was an excellent place, I was sad to see it go. It was one of the earliest places that made me hopeful for the Columbia restaurant scene becoming more 'worldly'.
Blaine
26 Aug 11 at 4:34 pm
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The brothel was in operation in the summer of 1967. I was a summer employee (a rising senior in HS) of the City of Columbia Electrical Division that summer. One of my jobs was to sit on the top of an extension ladder in the back of a city truck and paint traffic signals. As we painted this intersection one morning, the ladies were waking up and walking out onto the the balcony. Needless to say, this was a very fascinating morning for a seventeen-year old male!
Robert Sproul
7 Jun 12 at 11:33 am
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[snicker]A "rising senior," huh?
badger
7 Jun 12 at 12:24 pm
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Yes, My Freudian Slip is showing!
Robert Sproul
7 Jun 12 at 7:43 pm
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How old is this brick building?
Judy
2 Jun 13 at 2:35 pm
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@Judy-According to SCDAH it was built circa 1895
Tom
2 Jun 13 at 4:27 pm
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Thank you, Tom! I am researching a home and outdoor kitchen that was built in 1800 and on one of the first lots in Columbia. Lot #73 and later listed as 915 Gervais. The home was a rental until circa 1930 - 1940. This was the third house from the corner of Lincoln and Gervais on the same side as what is now, The Blue Marlin. I keep looking for an old photo that might show this property.
Judy
4 Mar 14 at 3:18 pm
Before Vista Brewing Richard Mackey had an upscale restaurant in that building called Richard's for a few years.
I think he was owner, or part owner, or manager anyway of Columbia's a block up the street, and opened Richard's after it closed.