Greenhouse Open For Eco-Conscious Clubgoers

This is Greenhouse, a new 6,000 square foot, bi-level club that opened last week in Soho in the former Club Shelter space. As the name suggests, they're working the eco-friendly angle here with (deep breath) high-efficiency heating, an LED lighting system, fabrics made from recycled materials, bamboo floor and wall coverings, and furniture made with FSC wood. Owner Jon Bakhshi, who is applying for
LEED certification, tells the Times he spent at least 33 percent more on Greenhouse than he would have on a "non-eco friendly" (anti-eco?) club.

Last night Thrillist hosted their third anniversary party at the club. The bash began down in the low-ceiling downstairs space, which is covered with myriad fake leaves glued to chicken wire and feels like a fire trap. Rotating laser lights incessantly flashed changing geometric patterns on the crowd, while additional spotlights swirled around the room, blinding everyone several times a minute. The effect is a nightmarish mix between a Farmingdale Bar Mitzvah and a lazer tag zone installed in some rich kid's basement. To complete the scene, the DJ played that "One More Time" song, as if trying to pick a fight.

Upstairs was also packed with like-minded freeloaders soaking up the open bar, a woman with a python, a costumed stilt dancer, a mariachi band, and the mesmerizing card tricks of Mark Mitton. The high ceiling is covered with over 5,000 individually hung crystals, and the effect is pretty striking; if you climb up to the balcony, you can have a pleasant acid flashback watching the pretty colored lights shimmer through them. As for the eco-friendly angle, Down By the Hipster muses, "The fake ivy outside has us pretty skeptical."

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By John Del Signore in Food on November 26, 2008 12:25 PM

Comments [rss]

nohateparade

i can't wait for my taste of nyc style burning man!

boho15

for fucks sake, its abundantly clear now as if it wasnt before..its over. the days of this type of overblown depressing charade are gone. and I am all for a good show, but not like this...

SikBug

Looks cool I guess, my company booked our holiday party here so I guess I'll find out for myself.

Snoopy

This place is located on the southeast corner of Vandam and Varick streets. You can't miss it. It has a bunch of dead bushes in front of the place. With plastic vines inside the window.

peanut100

ahh i apologize, i did not realize that this may be the old shelter/vinyl. is this on hubert st?

if so, what a SHAME! this place is iconic and has housed everyone from larry levan to danny tenaglia.

i thought this was referring to the uptown shelter that was open a few years ago.

what a joke!!!!

peanut100

as hard these clowns are trying to resurrect the club scene, it's OVER people!!!

it's all about bottles & gimmicks now.

the best nyc based djs don't even have residencies anymore.

rip the REAL shelter aka vinyl!!

JenChungsBaby

Looks like I found the location for my next acid trip.

Snoopy

It's not in SoHo it's in West SoHo or Hudson Square as it's sometime called. I walked by there today and I wondered what it was. The location has had a lot of "owners" over the years and none seemed to do well. I think this one will carry on the torch and be out the door in a year.

r1b2

Wait til patrons have allergic reactions to some of the otherwise-approved building materials and the lawsuits fly like feathers in a goosedown pillow fight.