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A simple sign announces CURTAIN CALL COMING SOON and reflects the busy streetscape of North Grand Avenue.
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The front door to the club off Grand Avenue sits at the center under the small marquee to the south of the Fox. Patrons of the Fox will be able to enter from the theater as well.
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The coffered ceilings will be painted deepest blue with accents of sand and metallic gold in the original plasterwork.
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A close-up of the plasterwork which has been repaired and readied for painting.
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Rendering 1: A view of the sculpted metal palms, fabric draped ceilings and club seating.
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Rendering 2: The curtained stage in the background, a chanteuse onstage, a hint of the bar in the foreground.
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Rendering 3: The bar curves at the left of the rendering. Note the custom lights lining the bar.
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The owners and management staff of Fox Associates gather on the stage. Left to right, John Wolf, VP of Operations; Thom Johnson, VP of Food and Beverage; Mary Strauss, front and center; Lisa B. Suntrup, right. Not show in this photo is Julie Baudendistel-Noonan.
Bring on the glamour and glitz this holiday season, there’s a new nightclub opening in town and it’s positively foxy. Curtain Call Lounge, the latest venture from Fox Associates, will open in December at 521 North Grand Avenue, next to the brass door entrances of the historic Fox Theater.
Opulent, exotic and mysterious, the Siamese-Byzantine design for the city’s first champagne bar hearkens back to the era of swanky clubs in the 1940s and ‘50s updated with modern touches. Owners Mary Strauss, Julie Baudendistel-Noonan and Lisa Suntrup worked with Space Architecture + Design to create the unique lounge and bar.
Rendering by Space Architecture + Design
Graceful metal-sculpted palms flank wide arches, the tent-like drape of fabric across the ceilings suggests tents, and the custom-built lights on the bar, fabricated in Istanbul, shimmer as they outline the sinuous curve of the bar. The construction crew preserved the coffered ceilings and repaired damages to the elaborate original plasterwork friezes.
Curtain Call isn’t just a feast for the eyes, however; it will be the first champagne bar in St. Louis. Let’s start with the champagne bar menu. Imagine forty different bottled champagnes, some available in magnums, twelve featured by the flute and a menu of crafted champagne cocktails. That’s enough bubbly to tickle anyone’s fancy.
Add in a curated classic cocktail list, local craft beers on tap, quality wines, and mixed drinks. Pair the drinks with small plates, flatbreads, sophisticated sliders and sandwiches, fresh oysters, shrimp and caviar. Maybe you don’t want savories with your champagne. Sweets abound. Consider desserts, from chocolate to cheesecake to desserts decadent enough to tempt the saintly and sink the wicked.
Speaking of Wicked, Curtain Call will be the perfect place to stop after performances at the Fox, the Sheldon and the Symphony. Instead the joining the lemming-like rush out of midtown and the resultant traffic, settle in for a drink or two.
The nightclub promises more than just a stop between shows, however. It’s a destination in its own right. Look for cabaret acts, a chanteuse, possibly a combo or a comedian to appear on the curved stage. The entertainment schedule isn’t yet ready for publication, but the intimate room seems perfect for memorable performances.
With 110 seats, including 20 at the bar, the space will be available for private luncheons, holiday parties, events and more. We’ll report more details as the project develops. In the meantime, hum a few bars of ‘Midnight at the Oasis.’ Revisit Rick's Café Américain via Netflix. Get your glad rags ready and put Curtain Call on your must-see list.
Curtain Call Lounge at the Fabulous Fox
521 N. Grand
Phone: TBD. For now, call 314-534-1678
Private Party Inquiries welcome
Website and social media sites in process
