New Sports & Social Club planned at 4th Street Live!

A new anchor tenant is coming to 4th Street Live! - the Sports & Social Club

The Cordish Company, which owns 4th Street Live!, plans to develop the Sports & Social Club in several of its urban developments across the country.

The 4th Street Live site, expected to open April 23 with four bars, will be the first and the flagship for the concept, Cordish partner Reed Cordish said.

The Louisville club, which will employ more than 100 people, will be "more than a sports bar," he said during a tour of the space under renovation Friday. He said the Cordish Co. is investing "multimillion dollars" in what it sees as a "world-class concept."

Cordish was eager to find space at 4th Street Live to roll out the Sports & Social Club prototype.  "The Lucky Strike location, in the heart of 4th Street Live, represents the very best opportunity ... to create a flagship location for the Sports & Social Club; a concept which (we) expect to be an anchor for entertainment districts and cities around the country."

The new business will feature 35 high-definition televisions, all with at least 50-inch screens.

It also will have eight bowling lanes, billiards and a "country club" style room with tiered seating and two 100-inch TV screens, Cordish said.

The club will also have live entertainment capability, Cordish said.  And it will seat about 220, plus sidewalk dining.

It will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, with a full menu, and then into the wee hours, with tentative hours ofll a.m. to 4 am most days, Cordish said.

The club "will be a nice addition to 4th Street Live," said Chris Poynter, Mayor Jerry Abramson's spokesman. "It will offer a lot of activity in one place, and its sports theme will be a new item for 4th Street Live."

The Sports & Social Club will be operated by Entertainment Concepts Investors LLC, an operating division of the Cordish Co. that is headed by Reed Cordish.

The club will be one of the largest places to eat in downtown Louisville and should be a "big attraction for convention goers and young people," said Stacy Roof, president of the Kentucky Restaurant Association. Cordish said 2008 was 4th Street Live's best year, with about 4.8 million visitors.

Cordish said his family's company is committed to developing the 200,000 square feet Center City project adjacent to 4th Street Live.