An Icon is Making a Comeback
This may not rank high on the excitement meter, but for some of us, it brought back memories. The former Icon space at 391 Ellicott Street is getting a new operator. Dwain Laws has applied for an on-premise liquor license for the property. The building is located behind the Genesee Gateway project in an area of downtown creeping back to life.
According to Laws’ application, the goal is to “provide an intimate, lively and comfortable atmosphere. The venue will be host to live entertainment of different forms, exceptional alcohol and non-alcoholic drinks and a restaurant that will provide exception food, service and quality.”
The Icon had a good run in the mid-90’s as Chippewa Street was just taking off to the west. One frequent patron, wishing to remain anonymous, says, “There weren't many places in Buffalo that could make you feel like you'd wandered into some underground club in the seedy underbelly of NYC but populated by model and punk rock wannabes. I used to love it back in college when going there made me feel so damn hip. I especially used to like the breast pump video that they projected on the wall.”
The to-be-named 6,000 sq.ft. venue is expected to open later this year. No word yet on any potential exterior color changes.
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amyws
funny
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buffalo2wheeler
my wife and I met on the dance floor of the Icon (back in the day when everybody danced) and every time we pass it, my kids point it out--hey isn't that where you met Mommy?
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Sitler
I loved The Icon! It really did feel like you were in the hippest place. Also, lots of good concerts there - I remember PIL, David Bryne, Live, and many others. Oh yeah, Thursday's use to be $1 Canadian beer night...which was news to my ears during those college years.
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d_a_n
wow, pil played there? what year was that?
i went to a bunch of shows at the icon in its most recent incarnation, and while i certainly appreciated having a venue like that that could draw bigger indie/punk bands like cursive, mountain goats, against me!, strike anywhere, etc. and not have a huge barrier like showplace or the town ballroom, i found a lot of the aesthetics to be less than appealing for these kinds of shows, such as...
-it seemed like it varied from night to night, but some nights the sound was just awful. the bass would be way to high and muddle everything else. i'm no audiophile, but dropping $15 for a crappy sounding show was super annoying.
-the room never really shook the feel of being a lame chip strip club that had a bunch of weirdos inside. it lacked the grittiness of a room like mohawk place, or the artsy (in a good way) feel of a place like soundlab.
i just hope the people who re-open the icon use it to it's potential and don't half-ass it.
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leadi
Remember when the ICON first opened and the bouncers looked through the little peep hole on the door to let you in? Just like NYC and it was pretty cool. Great music, and yes - great dancing! Who knew dancing to My Life With the Thrill Kill Cult, Sisters of Mercy, Romeo Void or Nine Inch Nails could be so much fun! I miss when everyone danced and dance to really cool music versus the crap they play on Chip. I am still not really sure what was REALLY going on under those stairs at the ICON....hhhmmmm....I am still going to pretend NOTHING was happening ;) I know that I tripped down those stairs once or twice (was it the beer, shots or all of the cigg smoke blurring my vision? LOL). I believe it was the Drost brothers that ran the original ICON and they did a great job.
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Buffalo21stcentury
Please blast off that BLUE paint....its hideous!
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Sitler
PIL played there in 1993.
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STEEL
Bring back the Continental
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Sitler
Yes...bring back The Continental...my favorite Buffalo bar of all time...you had the live music downstairs, great dancing upstairs, hedonistic action going on the back patio, and all the people-watching you could handle. And you were always greeted by Mr. Jessie and Ms. Christine at the front door.
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Assaroni
Icon was great, very hip, very NYC, and some freaky people there... loved the multi levels and the gallery space...
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ladyflash
This entire block is making a comeback - first Edie Brady's, then Genesee Gateway, now Icon!!! This is such great news for Buffalo and downtown. Hopefully, the owners will remove the horrendous paint and hold dance parties there. The alterna-kids need a place to dance!
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ladyflash
This entire block is making a comeback - first Edie Brady's, then Genesee Gateway, now Icon!!! This is such great news for Buffalo and downtown. Hopefully, the owners will remove the horrendous paint and hold dance parties there. The alterna-kids need a place to dance!
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wootwoot
I'm very, very excited to see what new events the icon will bring to Buffalo :) But I actually like the color; it may be hideous, but it gives the building character and serves as a very useful identifying factor for out-of-towners.
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