Some of my favorite memories of my formative shit-faced years happened within the walls of 230 W. Riverside:
jotting down words of wisdom on the bathroom walls, dancing to the Creeps or getting stoned by the pool tables.
Lately, every time I blink the place has a new name. It’s open one minute and closed the next. And as we all say goodbye to the Seaside (and inevitably welcome the next incarnation), you have to wonder what makes this place turn over so often.
After looking into it, though, it turns out name changes and new owners have always been part of life at that address — even back in the 1930s and ’40s.
“It’s a club, all clubs are like that,” Bob Gallagher, owner of 4000 Holes, says. “I always say that most bands last longer than that club.”
The one consistent thing about 230 W. Riverside, though, is that it’s always been a nightlife spot — a bar, a billiards room, a club — since it was built in the early 1900s.
“The venue is really a treasure in this town because it is an underground club,” Gallagher says.
And there have been more than a few times when it has sat vacant. We’re all just going to have to hope it won’t be a very long wait this time around.
Additional reporting by Leah Sottile and Azaria Podplesky Editor’s Note: We’ve also heard that this location might have been called Bricks and Club Kamikaze — but we can’t find a record of either. So feel free to let us know about those names (or any others) at music@inlander.com.
