New private dining club, rooftop bar coming to historic downtown Lexington building
A new private dining club with bar is coming to downtown Lexington with plans to expand to add a rooftop bar.
The new club will be called The Melroy and will be something distinctly different from existing Lexington private dining spaces such as the Lexington Club on Short and Esplanade, the Thoroughbred Club near Keeneland, Apiary on Jefferson, UK’s Spindletop Hall and the Idle Hour and Lexington Country Clubs.
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The Melroy will be opening at 144 N. Broadway, a historic Masonic temple that used to house Comedy On Broadway.
The club was the dream of Ieasha Allen, who co-owns the building with her husband, Dougie. They also co-own Creaux around the corner on Short Street with friend Stephen Scaldaferri.
Allen said the name means “God’s Gift.” “And, to me, it’s truly a gift to be on this side of history coming from Free Mason ownership to minority ownership (of the building),” Allen said.
Why open a private dining club in downtown Lexington?
What made Ieasha Allen want to add a private dining club to the mix?
“This is my baby. I started thinking about this before Creaux,” Allen said. “I was grocery shopping late one night, and I called Dougie, and said ‘We need a place in Lexington encompassing all different backgrounds.’ Lexington is growing, there are so many transplants, we need something entertainment-wise that wasn’t just dinner and a movie. All the nightclubs were still young, we need that third space.”
She decided to “open up something that’s for the heart of people. I want this space to be really authentic and enriching, not pretentious.”
Something that isn’t a nightclub and it isn’t just a private dining space for executives to talk business.
So she’s putting in a “city club” as opposed to a “country” where people can come during the day, pop open a laptop and work, or just read in the lounge. And then during the evenings, Allen said, things will get more social.
“I’m from California, and I’m used to being around eclectic, diverse crowds. And it was challenging to find that space in Lexington. I want to be in spaces were I can network, but not a country club or a golf course,” Allen said.
Club membership at The Melroy
Membership will be limited to about 1,000 members and the price was not immediately available. She plans to open up to members in February in advance of opening the club in June. Members will be able to bring in guests. And Allen said they will have reciprocal agreements with similar clubs in other cities so visitors may be allowed access as well.
“The membership base will be made up of adult-professionals over 35 looking for curated entertainment options, gathering space to hold progressive conversations and to connect through shared-experiences,” Allen said in a description. “Our members (will) include locals who are passionate, talented, worldly, kind, and genuinely interested in others.”
The club and restaurant will be on the first floor, with offices on the second floor and short-term rentals on the third and fourth. She’s been working with architectural firm Pohl Rosa Pohl on the renovations and design.
Next year, Allen said she plans to add a 4,300-square-foot private rooftop bar as well.
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