Temple Nightclub downtown to close permanently in May
Temple Nightclub, a downtown San Francisco dance spot that hosted techie romps and bigname stars for more than a decade, will shut its doors for good next month.
Opened in 2007 at the space formerly occupied by Club DV8, the longtime South of Market institution has struggled financially in recent months, according to a notice filed with the state.
“For the last several months Temple Nightclub has experienced financial difficulties due to economic changes within our industry,” the club’s management wrote in the filing. “In the past years we have taken action to adapt to this new market with new processes. Unfortunately, this action has not resulted in increased profitability.” The club’s final day will be May 25. Reached for a response, a club employee did not immediately comment.
As part of the closure, 86 employees will be laid off, according to the notice. Security staff, bartenders, servers and maintenance staff were among the employees whose jobs will be cut.
The club is part of founder Paul Hemming’s concept of a Zen Compound, whose eco-friendly ethos also encompasses a gallery, co-working space, and coffee bar. Located in the once-bustling SoMa neighborhood at 540 Howard St., the 16,000-square-foot venue is famed for attracting world-class DJs and generating long queues around the block.
Hemming started the club with the idea of “greening” the nightclub and hospitality industry, creating a space that could be a hub for creative spirituality. Its ”sustainable” dance floor once harnessed the energy of partygoers to power generators, in line with Hemming’s vision.
He also opened another Temple location in Denver, his techno-optimist aesthetic heavily inspired by science fiction classics like Tron and Blade Runner. Adding to Temple’s San Francisco bona fides, Hemming previously said the club was heavily inspired by Burning Man, the festival now held in the Nevada desert but which was born on San Francisco’s Baker Beach.
Long popular with the tech crowds during San Francisco’s successive boom and bust cycles and the many startups housed in SoMa’s industrial-chic spaces, the space has hosted a variety events over the years including beauty contests, Valentine’s Day mixers, and after-parties and openings for bigname celebrities.
The club’s reputation was tarnished following an incident in 2011 in which one man was killed and three others were injured in two separate attacks at Temple. Despite the incidents, Temple was consistently ranked as one of the country’s top-earning nightclubs, raking in up to $15 million annually according to various industry publications.
The club was renovated in 2014, introducing an onsite sushi restaurant, a recording studio, and a coworking space. Temple’s final parties are slated for Saturday, April 13, featuring Hyo and Bay Wav.