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Philly is about to get its own “premier nightclub” that will entertain 1,000 guests a night in a space “designed to be a hybrid between upscale nightclub venues of New York City and Los Angeles fused with international influences.”
NOTO (“Not Of The Ordinary”) will open this fall at 1209 Vine Street. Founders James De Berardine, a Lafayette College graduate, and his mother Micheline, are partnering with big names in the small pond that is the Philly club scene: Ryan Dorsey (founder of Recess Lounge and former general manager of after-hours bar and club, Zee Bar), Zach Seidman (formerly of the Fillmore Philadelphia, Atlantic City’s HQ Beach Club, HQ Nightclub, and Dusk), and Jeff Bowell (formerly of STARR Restaurants and part of the successful Las Vegas and Atlantic City openings of mur.mur, LAX Nightclub, Savile Row, HQ Nightclub and HQ Beach Club) — to make the 15,000 square foot club a success.
James De Berardine has produced songs for several notable dance music labels and spends much of his time in in Amsterdam consulting for dance music companies.
NOTO plans to focus on dance music, open format and live performances. The club “will be outfitted with a state-of-the art L-Acoustics PA system and a 420 square foot LED wall that will hang above the 24’ x 15’ stage, all of which will be illuminated by a variety of moving head and strobe lighting, in addition to lasers and other special effects.” Decor includes “a massive, early 20th century chandelier, which was salvaged from a London hotel and is composed of hundreds of crystal perfume bottles.”
Consulting chef Sylva Senat of Dos Tacos will run a restaurant in the building and provide the food for NOTO, according to Philly.com. Senat, who now slings cheffy tacos out of Dos Tacos’s Center City storefront, has been a James Beard Award semifinalist and the chef that brought three bells to Tashan.
Citing concerns about the noise, violence, and drunkenness that often comes with nightclubs, the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation has formed a coalition to oppose NOTO, according to Philly Mag. NOTO representatives say that they are implementing extensive sound proofing measures, including comprehensive vibration control and sound dampening / deadening exercises, as to not disturb the neighborhood noise level.
Following the grand opening, NOTO’s hours of operation will be from 9:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. every Friday and Saturday, and on select Thursdays.
