Lower Downtown is set to get another speakeasy-style hangout when Gatsby’s opens in the former Wine Loft space on Dec. 15.
The owners of the new lounge have made a substantial investment renovating the 4,500-square-foot space at 1527 Wazee St., knocking out walls to open up the loft where more than 50 wine lockers are installed, and adding new dark paneling to the room.
“We’re trying to make it more upscale,” says Dan Cook, an investor in the venture. “We’re hoping to attract the 30- to 60-year-old crowd.”
Plush brown chairs and couches line the room, where bartenders will pour craft cocktails, fine wine and martinis.
The new owners also renovated the tiny kitchen, installing a Rational oven that can cook various foods at different temperatures at the same time.
“We can use it to fry with no oil,” Cook says.
Gatsby’s joins a growing roster of establishments billed as speakeasies, including Green Russell at 1422 Larimer St. , Williams & Graham at 3160 Tejon St. in LoHi, Prohibition at 504 E. Colfax Ave. and Gin & Sin Speakeasy at 3862 High St.
The term speakeasy is a nod to the Prohibition-era establishments that served alcohol illegally and were often operated by people involved with organized crime. Even though police raided them frequently, the speakeasies were so profitable they continued to thrive.
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