Crobar Taking On Hollywood

A historic Los Angeles theatre on Hollywood Boulevard that was shuttered years ago was recently purchased by the operator of the Crobar nightclub chain, and will undergo a multimillion-dollar facelift.

Crobar partner Robert Vinokur told Pollstar the Fox Theatre will be converted into a 900-capacity, multipurpose venue that will host live shows, corporate events, and movie premieres, and will feature a restaurant as well as a nightclub set to operate Thursday through Sunday evenings.

Vinokur explained that although all Crobars fall under the same corporate chain, each club is very different.

"Whereas Miami is very fluffy – it’s a big vacation spot – L.A. is going to be very Hollywood, very glamorous, very rock and rollish," he said.

Crobar’s various clubs have already hosted "everybody from Nancy Sinatra, to Kid Rock, to Black Eyed Peas," and Vinokur said that with the opening of Crobar Los Angeles, "we’ve turned into not just becoming a nightclub but becoming this multi-use venue."

The club was purchased for more than $1 million, and Crobar will spend more than $5 million restoring the 90-year-old venue, real estate broker Ruby Simpson told the Los Angeles Times. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has endorsed the proposal under four conditions, one of which is that there is no outside promoter.

The venue is set for a late October opening.