The Chvrch will help fill performing void
Art bar to open in basement of Grand Hotel
Kris Harvey wants to offer food and musical refuge in his new house of worship.
He’s opening a 200-person restaurant and art bar, The Chvrch of John, in the basement of the Grand Hotel on 102nd Avenue and 103rd Street. Harvey, who is a DJ and longtime gig promoter, hopes to open his venue at the beginning of September.
Light food, drinks, and artists — including musicians, DJs, dancers, poets and visual artists — will be part of the menu.
“We do have a need for venues,” says Harvey, as he stands in his empty, yet-tobe-renovated room, which used to host musicians in the ’70s and ’80s. “Especially with other places, like the Artery, closing.”
The Artery, a 149-person room located at 9535 Jasper Ave., closed its doors at the end of March. The City of Edmonton plans to tear down the venue as part of the construction of the new Valley Line LRT.
The Chvrch of John will be the second new tenant to move into the Grand Hotel, which is about a block away from the downtown arena. Denizen Hall, a barcade owned by Urban Sparq Hospitality Group, opened on the main floor last fall. The group also owns the hotel, Knoxville’s and The Pint.
Harvey says the name of his venue is partly inspired by his grandparents, who built a Christian community church when they moved from India to Edmonton.
“I’ve lived in downtown Edmonton for the majority of my life and I wanted to build something that will bring people together. I didn’t want to wait for the arena. What happens on those days when there’s nothing going on at the arena? People who live in downtown will still need places to go.”
The Chvrch is one of several new venues opening in Edmonton over the next few months. The Artery’s owner, Phil Muz, plans to open a new spot soon, according to a Facebook post. “We’ve found a new home,” he writes. “Just waiting on city approval.”
Cineplex will open a 40,000-square-foot Rec Room with an auditorium for live entertainment in South Edmonton Common, while the River Cree Resort & Casino is erecting a new temporary structure to replace its tent venue, which recently failed to meet safety codes.
Another venue will be announced later this week.
Studio 96, in the old St. Stephen’s Church at 109th Avenue and 96th Street, quietly opened a few months ago. The space hosts community events and gigs.
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