Santa Monica bar brimming with historic charm to shutter after 20 years

Santa Monica’s party is over at one of its best known watering holes.

The Victorian — the sprawling, three-story Main Street mansion where generations of Angelenos have danced, downed cocktails and stumbled through last call — is closing after 20 years of serving espresso martinis and basement DJ sets.

“After 20 incredible years, The Victorian is closing its doors,” they announced on Instagram on Monday.

“Countless first dates. Countless last drinks. Friendships made. Couples formed. Marriages celebrated. Breakups survived. Birthdays, milestones, reunions and night that became stories you’re still telling.”

The Victorian told longtime revelers that it has just four weekends left before bowing out with one final blowout: its annual Halloween party.

Thursday through Saturday, the Victorian-style house operated as a dinner restaurant and transformed into a multi-floor party palace with DJs spinning in its basement, main room, and upstairs “Birdcage.”

Its long-running Salsa Thursdays featured salsa and bachata lessons followed by dancing until 1:30 a.m.

While partygoers and locals mourned the sudden demise of their go-to weekend haunt, municipal records reveal a far more bougie fate for the historic seaside address.

But the historic property will not stay quiet for long.

The city-owned spot is being renovated, prepped and re-branded as an exclusive, private members club, according to Santa Monica City Council records first reviewed by the Santa Monica Daily Press.

Back in March, the city council voted 7-0 to transfer the property’s lease to “The Santamonican Club, LLC.” Billed as a “family-based recreation, events, and wellness destination serving all ages,” the property will feature a new pool, spa, fitness center, restaurant and youth facilities. The makeover could take as long as a year and a half.

The proposed operator plans a massive 12-to-18-month renovation of the nearly 123-year-old property, replacing its roof, HVAC systems, flooring and commercial kitchen while overhauling its facade and landscaping.

Plans also call for an all-day coffee bistro and a “re-imagined” full-service restaurant and bar. The operator would foot the bill for the improvements without a public subsidy or rent credits, according to a staff report.

The 50,418-square-foot leased property includes the Victorian’s approximately 12,961-square-foot building as well as its outdoor areas and parking lot.

The transformation would represent a dramatic shift for one of the Westside’s longtime nightlife fixtures — swapping late-night DJs and dance floors for workouts and family programming.

The closure also comes during an unforgiving period for LA’s hospitality industry, where a parade of restaurants and bars have recently gone dark amid rising costs, changing consumer habits, and other economic pressures.

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