Turf Club (venue) facts for kids
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| Address | 1601 University Avenue West |
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| Location | Saint Paul, Minnesota |
| Type | Nightclub/tavern |
| Capacity | 350 |
| Opened | 1940s |
The Turf Club is a cool place in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It's a bar, a restaurant, and a music venue where bands play live music. It's known for hosting many different kinds of bands.
Contents
History of the Turf Club
The Turf Club first opened in the 1940s. Back then, it was a popular place for dancing.
A Home for Local Bands
Since the 1990s, the Turf Club has become a favorite spot for bands from the Twin Cities. Before this, most local bands only played in Minneapolis. The Turf Club helped change that. It also became an important place for bands visiting from other parts of the country and even other countries. For example, the Japanese indie-rock band Shonen Knife played their 1,000th show there!
New Owners and Upgrades
In late 2013, the Turf Club was sold. The new owners also own First Avenue, another famous music venue. The club can hold about 350 people.
What's Inside the Club?
The Turf Club has a smaller bar and performance area in its basement. This area is called the Clown Lounge. It's often used for jazz music shows.
The club is located on University Avenue. It's near Snelling Avenue. You can even get there by light rail. The Snelling Avenue light rail station on the Green Line is right across the street.
In 2014, the Turf Club got a big makeover. They improved the sound system. They also found a hidden mural behind some curtains. This mural showed five racehorses and had been forgotten for decades!
Recent Challenges and Reopening
The Turf Club had to close for over a year in 2020-2021. This was because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, the building also had some fire and water damage from civil unrest in 2020. It took many months to repair everything. Luckily, the Turf Club reopened for concerts in July 2021.
