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It was utter madness at the Kress on a recent Friday night when Justin Timberlake arrived at the back entrance with Jessica Biel, prompting cocktail waitresses to run to the window for a look while a rush of clubbers tried to cram their way up a flight of stairs to the roof where the couple was headed. Then came a stream of other famous club kids pushing through, also eager to get in on the action: Lauren Conrad and Lo Bosworth, Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo, Kristen Cavallari, a Wayans brother, even Benjamin McKenzie of "The O.C." The basement was no less thrilling. Even though there weren't any celebs down here, people seemed hot on the art deco-style venue, which used to house Frederick's of Hollywood, not to mention the go-go dancers clad in—you guessed it—Frederick's lingerie.
Despite all the competition in Hollywood's nightlife scene, the anticipation surrounding the Kress made the five-story club a hit before it even opened to the public, thanks in part to a masquerade ball hosted by Paris Hilton. And though owner Mike Viscuso is new to Hollywood, he’s not new to nightlife. He started in the restaurant biz at age 13, working at his uncle’s restaurant in Massachusetts. He’s owned several venues throughout the years, including V20 in Long Beach, but he’s most noted for revitalizing San Diego’s Gaslamp District with venues like E Street Alley and Belo.
Hollywood, of course, needs no revitalizing. So Viscuso has another plan: to take Hollywood nightlife to the next level. Make that five levels.
I hear you took great pains to restore the building.
I was able to locate the original blueprints for the Kress building…I was shocked they were so accurate; the plans were all hand-drawn back in ’30s. I hired a historic architect and designer—historic architect Fran Offenhauser and designer Davis Krumins of Davis Inc.—[to design] the interior space on all five levels.
Did you think it was a risk to open such a large venue in Hollywood now that it’s saturated with nightclubs?
With the millions of people in L.A., there was never a doubt that if I brought a quality venue to L.A., I wouldn’t have a problem filling the property…I felt there was a need for what I have to offer. From the years of being in S.D. and people coming from L.A. saying, “I wish you would have this in L.A.” I think once we open, a lot of poor operators are going to go by the wayside, not because of me, but because Hollywood is changing. I wanted to step up the nightlife industry and leave it up to the people to decide.
In a nutshell, what was your concept for the Kress?
A one-stop shop for dining and entertainment.
Speaking of dining, I’ve noticed people slowing down on Hollywood Boulevard to get a look inside the red-and-gold restaurant on the ground floor.
When you walk in from Hollywood Boulevard to the restaurant, you will experience flashbacks to old supper clubs in ’30s and ’40s; the glitz and glamour of old Hollywood. The dining room main floor has 30-foot ceilings, custom chandeliers, high-back gold tufted booths, hand-painted wallpaper, enormous mirrors and hardwood floors. The restaurant has an Asian flare to the design, which complements the menu by chef Troy Thompson.
There’s also the mezzanine that overlooks the restaurant.
[It has] a sushi bar and private dining room. The whole theme is around lotuses: Philippe Starck-designed lotus chairs, lotus lamps in private dining booths.
Now the basement club has a completely different vibe.
It’s a high-energy dance club with chandeliers, purple crushed-velvet VIP seating, art deco-style booths for bottle service…and the best sound system and light system offered.
There are also some giant images of sparkly boobs behind the bar... Girls have also been buzzing about the ladies’ room.
The most important thing is having enough ladies' restrooms! The basement restroom has marble floors with Venetian mirrors [and] while the girls are getting ready, they can have Champagne and martinis.
What’s on the second floor? That’s the one area I’ve yet to see.
The second floor of the Kress has administration offices, and the other half is a full banquet kitchen. Event planners are able to book large events with their own chef. A regular customer, however, wouldn’t see the second floor unless they were booking a party.
On to the third floor…
There are alligator skin tufted doors, Murano glass chandeliers (six large black ones). I designed that room so it can be set up for banquets, corporate events, dance club for corporate functions, receptions, bar/bat mitzvahs, new product releases, fashion shows.
And of course there’s the soon-to-be legendary rooftop lounge.
It’s going to be the most expensive piece of real estate in building. It’s the only rooftop so far for Hollywood. There are 360-degree views, from the Hollywood sign to Downtown L.A. to Beverly Hills to Westwood to Santa Monica. We have elevated cabanas, three fire pits, two bars, a DJ booth, a slated runway area for seating surrounded by Astroturf, and potted plants with custom Asian palm trees. It’s very bright and colorful. The sofas are lime green, lemon yellow and bright orange. And I have a 16-foot high-definition electronic billboard [that] can show full-length feature movies. I can also have live music on the roof and not worry about noise problems due to the height of building.
None of this would be complete without fancy cocktails.
We’ve hired Jason Lara, who is a professional mixologist, to create the bar menu. I also have the largest collection of large-format Champagne bottles that can cost anywhere up to $60,000 per bottle. After all is said and done, I will probably have the largest Champagne collection in L.A.
I heard you might also open a hotel component at the Kress.
I purchased a total of four buildings and a parking lot. The parking lot was a big warehouse in the back that I knocked down and paved over. I plan on making an 800-parking-space garage underground, and on top will be a 12-story boutique hotel. That’s all about 24 months away.
A parking lot in Hollywood usually means more than just parking. Do you have an award show parties planned here yet?
Absolutely! We have booked a few parties; they will be big, large, tented events. We hope to accommodate every major event that comes up in Hollywood!
Take a photo tour of the Kress here»
Get on the list for Fridays on the roof»
RSVP for Saturday nights»
Alexandra Le Tellier is Bars & Clubs editor of Metromix LA.
