PHASE THREE Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel to relocate to the Strand BY IAN DONNIS

Settling a long-running dispute and maintaining the downtown presence of Providence’s landmark rock ‘n’ roll club, Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel plans to relocate a block away in early December, settling into the Strand nightclub on Washington Street. "Even two to three days ago, I thought I might just stay at Lupo’s [current location on Westminster Street]," club owner Rich Lupo said in an interview as this week’s Phoenix was going to press, "but this really does seem to be the best thing to do for the longevity of the club and to satisfy so many needs."

Under a complex licensing agreement worked out between Lupo, Arnold "Buff" Chace, the owner of Lupo’s current home in the Peerless Building, and nightlife impresario Mike Kent, who holds the lease for using the Strand, Lupo has the option to present live music at the Strand for up to 15 years. In order to accommodate Kent’s dance club business at the Strand – and following a wider industry trend -- the Lupo-presented shows need to conclude by 10:30 p.m. on Thursday through Sunday nights. Lupo’s will be able to offer entertainment later into the night, he says, on Mondays through Wednesdays.

The club owner says a closing night at the Westminster Street location, dubbed, "Lupo’s Last Stand," will be marked on Wednesday, December 3. "A lot of bands are signing up, right off the bat," he says. "We plan to give a piece of Lupo’s," particularly from the band rooms, "to any customer that wants it." Although it will take a little time to line up live bookings for the new venue, Lupo’s could mark its start at the Strand, Lupo says, as early as Monday, December 8.

The 1200-person capacity of the Strand is smaller than Lupo’s 1500-person capacity, although, Lupo says, the opening of balcony space toward the end of January will expand the capacity to 2000 and enable the booking of more big shows – the kind, he says, "that would prefer to be in a theater." At the same time, the move from Westminster Street will also mean the closing of the Lupo-owned Met Café, a venue for many local acts and more eclectic touring bands, like the Pernice Brothers, Juliana Hatfield, and Southern Culture on the Skids.

Lupo, a Boston native who settled in Providence after graduating from Brown University, has operated his eponymous nightclub in two different Westminster Street locations – providing a major source of downtown vitality -- since first opening in the Conrad Building in 1975. He was forced out 13 years later when the building went condo, and eventually reopened, in the Peerless Building, in June 1993. Performers who have played at Lupo’s in recent years include Smashing Pumpkins, Elvis Costello, Bo Diddley, the White Stripes, the Dave Matthews Band, Sonic Youth, Lightning Bolt, Lucinda Williams, Sevendust, Hootie and the Blowfish, and the Foo Fighters.

Relations between Lupo and Chace soured in 1999 as they debated the terms of Lupo’s lease, and Chace, a major downtown property owner who is pursuing several residential projects in close proximity, made clear his intention to build apartments in the Peerless Building. Although the dispute lingered in court, the relocation agreement will effectively end the litigation, Lupo says, and Chace is compensating him as part of the pact. "I don’t want to say how much," the club owner adds. Chace, whose supporters cite the Peerless Building as the linchpin of downtown residential development, since it’s the largest such project, plans to build 97 apartments in the structure. "That’s exciting," Chace said after learning from the Phoenix that Lupo had sealed the relocation deal. "I’m just holding my breath, until we hear from him."

For his part, Lupo has remained openly skeptical of efforts to revitalize downtown with a small cluster of residents, citing his club as a greater attraction for the city, and excoriating house editorials in the Providence Journal that have called for the club’s relocation. "Who are they?" Lupo asks. "Why don’t they move their building? They could probably put 500 apartments where the Journal building is."

Although the idea of relocating Lupo’s at the Strand had been in play for several years, Lupo says his initial preference was to remain on Westminster Street or to move to a new Allens Avenue location. His inclination toward the latter site started to fade, though, because it would take about two years to get it up and running. Renewed talks about moving to the Strand began about three months ago, following a suggestion from the office of Mayor David N. Cicilline, and, Lupo says, "Without their help, I don’t know that this could have happened."

Although Lupo says his club’s third incarnation will continue the move away from the neighborhood bar feeling of the first venue, the agreement keeps the club in its original neighborhood, and the number of employees – about 40 – will remain undiminished. "I think it’s a good thing, because we’re still in existence," Lupo says. "The city still has our chunk of the nightlife," he says, and Chace will be able pursue his residential plan at the Peerless Building.

Jokingly referring to the movement of his club over the years, Lupo says, "The plan in 15 years is to move to Trinity Rep, which will fulfill my lifelong dream, which is to create a rectangle."