Elizabeth Arant, 37, loved Friday night meetings with Fierce Friends of Phoenix, a local LGBTQ group that met monthly at the old DeSoto Central Market. Arant said members used to grab dinner and a cocktail while socializing in the communal space.
“I loved the community aspect of DeSoto,” she said.
The market closed last year, and in its place opened Track Club, a high-end nightclub owned by local developer Chuckie Duff, Electronic Dance Music (EDM) promoter Thomas Turner and cocktail curator David Scott. They’re hosting big-name artists in the club’s large dance room, many from the EDM genre. In the front of the club is a large cocktail lounge that resembles an art gallery.
“(It’s) something different, something that is completely unique,” Track Club’s Director of Marketing and Business Development David Brewer said about the lounge. “But we really wanted to capture the heart and soul of Roosevelt’s art district.”
Home to First Friday, Arizona Wilderness and Carly’s Bistro, Arant said Track Club is just “a smidge wrong” for the Roosevelt neighborhood, and is better suited near night clubs like Monarch Theatre or Bar Smith on Washington Street or in Scottsdale.
“It’s not a community gathering space, obviously,” she said. “I’m not seeing how it’s going to enrich the Roosevelt district.”
Unlike Arant, some people in the Roosevelt Neighborhood welcomed Track Club.
Jay Klepfisz, 32, who moved to Roosevelt a decade ago, said it offers an alternative option for the growing number of students and young professionals living downtown. Klepfisz noted that nightclubs are common in any city.
“(We’re) spitting distance from high rises, you’re in a downtown core,” he said. “You’re going to have drunk people; you’re going to have parties. Who cares?”
The Roosevelt neighborhood has seen a surge in bars, coffee shops and housing in recent years. Once a bustling city center home to many of Phoenix’s elite, the neighborhood declined in the 1960’s as expanding roadways pushed populations outwards.
In 1983, Roosevelt was recognized by the National Register of Historic Places. Coupled with the election of Mayor Terry Goddard in 1984, the revitalization of this once prominent neighborhood began. Over three decades ago, artists started showcasing their work in abandoned buildings, and in 1994, the First Friday art walk began.
Derek Figg said he remembers 10 years ago when First Friday was one of the only late-night options in his neighborhood.
While Figg said Track Club doesn’t fit Roosevelt’s “vibe,” it may work as a stand-alone spot for people who like variety in their night out.
“You could stay in Roosevelt, do a low-key restaurant, a low-key bar, but then you still have a club right there,” Figg said.
Still, Figg isn’t convinced his neighborhood is ready for a place like Track Club.
“It could potentially fall on its face,” he said. “And I don’t think that would be a big surprise.”
Klepfisz is more optimistic. With big-name artists like Kaskade performing at Track Club, Klepfisz said it’s a perfect fit for the growing number of young people in Roosevelt looking for a fun night out.
“When you look at it that way, how could it possibly fail,” he said.
Contact the reporter at flatona@asu.edu.
