Residents in Platt Park, including a city councilman, say an event center along South Broadway is using a liquor licensing loophole to host loud concerts that end in gunfire and litter.
1912 S. Broadway was once a theater and then Thrillseekers Climbing Gym, which opened in 1992 and closed in 2018 when its owner retired. Later that year, the century-old building was sold for $1.6 million to real estate agent Paul Yaft and lawyer Doug Norberg.
On Instagram, videos show a nightclub atmosphere of dancing, hard drinking and live music. Neighbors say with that comes screaming, drunken fistfights and weapons. Special event permits are designed for charities that want to serve alcohol at a fundraiser or annual reception, said City Councilman Jolon Clark, a former nonprofit executive.
“It seems to me like they are trying to regularly program a space for special event permits so they don’t have to go through the process of getting a liquor license, which is a process that the community can weigh in on,” Clark said. “They are circumventing that entire process.” Clark wants the Department of Excise and Licenses to stop issuing special event permits for 1912 S. Broadway until it can determine whether 4 Corners is a legitimate nonprofit and whether the Elite Event Center is providing adequate security and cleanup.“We don’t tolerate that”
A neighborhood email list once compiled to coordinate complaints about Habibi is now used to coordinate complaints about the Elite Event Center. More than 100 people are on it. The Platt Park People’s Association, a neighborhood group, is also working to quiet the Elite Event Center, according to President Jennifer Beason.