One of Charleston's worst-kept secrets is officially no longer under wraps.
London-based Soho House & Co. announced June 14 it is bringing one of its private social clubs to the nearly 150-year-old, iconic Wagener Building in downtown Charleston.
Soho plans to open the venue in 2024 with members-only space on the upper two floors and a public Soho-branded restaurant at ground level, according to a spokesman. The restaurant's name has not been announced.
"The Soho House Design Team will draw inspiration from Charleston’s rich history, Southern charm and creative spirit to create a vibrant coastal locale to eat, drink and unwind while honoring the building’s historic details," the company said in a prepared statement.
The property in the city's French Quarter also will have a rooftop bar and a dining area with views of the downtown area.
The Holy City site is among several new initiatives by the private club.
"We have a lot of unique projects underway that are 'firsts,'" said Jarrett Stuhl, chief operating officer of Soho House for the Americas. "As we look to 2024 and beyond, we will only continue to expand in the Americas into cities and territories that we haven’t had a physical presence, including Charleston."
Soho, which is said to be selective in its membership and focuses on those with creativity rather than net worth, also announced it will open its first Latin American site in Mexico City in September and its first location in the Pacific Northwest in Portland, Ore., in November.
Nashville-based investor AJ Capital Investors bought the three-story Wagener Building at 161 East Bay St. last year for $8.1 million along with a 40-space parking lot at 145 East Bay for $4 million.
A building owner's representative did not immediately respond for comment on Soho's announcement. The large brick structure at the southwest corner of Queen Street previously housed Southend Brewery and, later, craft beer pioneer Lagunitas.
The portfolio of AJ Capital, also branded as Adventurous Journeys, spans a platform that includes hospitality, residential, entertainment and other real estate holdings. It has previously renovated some older buildings into new uses, and it's been speculated since the Charleston purchase last year that Soho House would be the occupant.
In Chicago, the company converted a former meatpacking plant into a coworking space and turned a one-time belt factory into a private club with 40 guest rooms that’s managed by Soho House & Co.
Other previous projects include several hotels in the U.S. and the French West Indies.
California-based Lagunitas moved into the Wagener Building in 2016 and moved out about a year later after discovering the cost of making unexpected repairs was out of reach. The city ordered scaffolding put up to protect nearby pedestrians from bricks that might fall from the 16,300-square-foot structure.
The building has been vacant since then.
London-based Soho House plans to bring one of its private social clubs to the upper two floors of the iconic Wagener Building at 161 East Bay St. in downtown Charleston. The bottom floor will house a public restaurant. File/Warren L. Wise/Staff
Alex Popovich, an agent with the commercial real estate firm Lee & Associates that represented AJ Capital in the purchase last year, said Wednesday that the exterior has been stabilized, the interior gutted and renovations are underway.
AJ Capital will continue to own the building with Soho House as a tenant.
"It speaks to the caliber of our city to have Soho House come in after (luxury hotel) Four Seasons recently announced it is coming to Charleston," Popovich said. "It speaks to the direction we are going in that we are a world-class city that people from all over the world want to visit."
A rendering shows the rooftop of the new Soho House coming to the three-story Wagener Building on East Bay Street in downtown Charleston. Soho House Design/Provided
The East Bay structure, built in 1880, was first named for merchant F.W. Wagener, who bought and sold groceries, liquor, cotton and fertilizer. In the 1930s, it became known as the Ohlandt Warehouse.
Before Southend Brewery moved into the space in 1996, the site housed the popular nightspot East Bay Trading Co.
