New nightclub at Hennepin and 5th?

New life might be coming to a troubled corner in downtown Minneapolis. One of the area's busiest intersections is 5th Street and Hennepin Avenue S., once home to a tobacco shop that drew the ire of city officials until it closed earlier this year. Police were routinely called to the corner for reports of drug dealing and assaults.

The building's owner, Sal Elazab (and two other partners), is behind a proposed nightclub at the 424 Hennepin Av. S. building. The concept will be called Liquid and could open by the end of the year. The project's general manager, Wayne Senior, said Liquid will include a first-floor sports bar, a second-level VIP-focused dance club and a rooftop lounge. He described the two levels as a cross between Sneaky Pete's and Seven.

Senior said the multimillion-dollar build-out would include a new roof and a complete renovation of the exterior. "The building won't look the same," he said. Expect floor-to-ceiling windows and stone walls on all sides of the building. The bar has not yet received a liquor license.

Senior said he acknowledges the problems that have plagued this corner but thinks Liquid will have a positive effect. "Personally, my goal is to make the corner look good," he said. "That's right where the light rail comes into downtown Minneapolis. I want people to see a beautiful building and come in and get something nice to eat and drink. Trust me, we're turning charcoal into diamonds."

Stay tuned for updates.

... And two more nightclubs

It sounds like Johann Sfaellos is carving out a portion of downtown Minneapolis all to himself. The club owner, whose 400 Soundbar is located at 400 3rd Av. N. in downtown Minneapolis, tells me he will open a neighboring dance club, plus a topless joint a couple doors down. Sfaellos said he will continue to operate Soundbar, but wants a club that doesn't need to cater to mainstream sensibilities (Top 40) and can focus primarily on European house music. So he says he's opening Deseo, a smaller dance club in the former Rosewood Room next door. He wants to open in six weeks.

There's more. Last October, a new strip club, 10th Inning, was approved for a liquor license by the city at 418 3rd Av. N., half a block from Sfaellos' club. The sports-themed topless bar opened to little fanfare and closed just the same this summer.

Sfaellos says he is partnering with one of the bar's original owners, Derek Spearman, on a Paris-style cabaret (that's fancy talk for "another strip club"). He wants the redesigned topless bar to have a comfortable atmosphere that will be appealing to not only men but couples, too. The new name will be the 10th Inning Stretch (no word as to why they're keeping the sporty name if it's going to be Parisian-themed). Spearman has applied for a new liquor license with hopes of opening in November. "We want to warm up the winter," Sfaellos joked.

Again, stay tuned for more details.