Death of the Rock
Popular night club closes its doors due to high building costs, disgruntled neighbors
by Chris Ridder

June 27 - July 3, 1996 / Volume V, No. 26


Hollywood Rock and Top of the Rock have closed their doors. Owner John Pattee, who also owns the Avenue Bar and The Gaslight, cited exorbitant building costs as the prime reason. "This building is a huge white elephant," he says, "The people I bought it from wanted too much money, and they're unwilling to decrease the price."

He plans to open a similar disco-type club sometime in May, in a less-expensive downtown warehouse space. "We've got a million dollars in equipment, and I'll be taking that [to the new place,]" he says, "But we won't have a kitchen and we'll only be open a couple nights a week." The proposed club doesn't yet have a name.

"That building has never been profitable because it's just too expensive," says Pattee, who says his other bars' profits were carrying the popular night club since it opened - despite consistently strong crowds. Complaints from neighbors and what Pattee termed harrassment by the Parking Authoriy made matters even worse.

Pattee doesn't think losing DJ Bob Lester hurt the club, rather that Bob got when the getting was good. "If you look at Anchorage history, you'll find this type of [club] doesn't last long," says Pattee, "Bob's smart - he zips around and stays popular. Clubs die all the time. You open up a club for a year or two, then close it down and find a new spot."

Strange it may be. But in the local club scene, new buildings and new names are par for the course - while the owners stay largely the same.


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