If you're the sort of hard-living live music fan who goes out regularly to see rock, hip-hop or indie bands perform, you may be under the impression that Philly has enough venues to satisfy the needs of every slam-dancer and head-nodder in the city. And yet Avram Hornik, a local nightlife entrepreneur whose
Four Corners Management company operates a handful of beloved local bars, begs to differ.
To wit: In less than eight weeks, inside the former Spaghetti Warehouse restaurant at 10th and Spring Garden streets in Center City, a midsize but upscale concert space known as
Union Transfer will introduce itself to the city. (A train depot of the same name once operated there.) Hornik is a partner in the venture, as is Sean Agnew of
R5 Productions. Agnew will be booking bands with the help of a third partner: the New York-based
Bowery Presents. "We had all been aware of each other," Hornik wrote in a recent email, "and were just waiting for the right time and the right space to open a live music venue."
And while Philly may in fact have its fair share of spots to take in touring or local live acts, Union Transfer, Hornik says, will be something truly unique: large enough to handle 1,000 fans, but with ample parking nearby and a central location, convenient to the freeway. In fact, Hornik claims that the project's ultimate goal involves "showcas(ing) bands that have passed by the city because there hasn't been the space to play."
If the architectural renderings and the minor details that have already been released are any indication, that'll be an easy goal to reach. Union Transfer, for instance, which was designed by local firm
Fishtank PHL, will be home to a
D&B Audiotechnik sound system, professional-level lighting, both a mezzanine and a balcony, and--get this--parking for 150 bicycles.
The party kicks off on Sept. 21, with an inaugural concert featuring
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.
Source: Avram Hornik, Four Corners Management
Writer: Dan Eldridge
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