One of LSU’s neighborhood nightclubs recently underwent major renovations and a name change.
Icon, formerly part of the chain of gay clubs that includes Oz on Bourbon Street, Emerald City in Pensacola, FL and Blu in Atlanta, GA, formally changed its name to Splash and had its grand opening celebration Jan. 23.
New owners Jeff Trudel and Cory Wise bought the bar in late October 2003 from Pensacola-based Johnny Chisholm after they explained to him that owning the club was their dream and that they had a vision for it.
Nearly 1,100 people took part in the opening night that included free champagne and a performance by the Diva Nation, a group of drag performers.
The shows are not limited to the grand opening, but take place every Thursday night at Splash.
“I can’t believe they are guys sometimes,” said Chris Chaney, a psychology freshman. “And other times, I’m like, ‘yeah, that’s a man in a dress’.”
New renovations include a new $60,000 lighting system, a $13,000 sound system, and a $3,000 laser, as well as extensive remodeling to the upstairs bar area.
“All the bar tops have been redone,” Trudel said. “We’ve replaced the black tile with a more attractive birch wood.”
Trudel has also added two 50 inch plasma screen televisions behind and near the bar that play top 40 dance music videos.
The renovations did not stop with the bar upstairs. Trudel and his team also added water walls, which are special effects that look like waterfalls, to separate the downstairs bar area and the dance floor. In the club’s former piano room, the carpeting is gone and the room now has painted walls with colorful murals and leather couches that provide a comfortable setting for sitting.
The influence for the design of the club came from Trudel’s travels across the nation.
“By going across the country, I took a little bit of this bar and a little bit of that bar,” Trudel said. “We try to do a good blend of many bars into one.”
Remodeling was estimated to take two weeks and was done during the semester break before reopening as Splash.
With the new renovations come new weekly events. On Wednesdays, the club will feature no cover and discounted well drinks, and on Fridays, patrons can take part in a wet boxer contest – a sort of below the belt wet t-shirt contest for men.
“I’ll probably go and see what it’s all about, but I probably won’t participate,” Reynolds said.
Trudel said first place prize for the contest will be $100 cash, and the second place prize a $50 bar tab.
A variety of dj’s are featured throughout the rest of the week.
All of the changes convinced Ian Navarre, a communication studies sophomore, that Splash is the place to be.
“The people here are so much fun,” he said. “The new bar looks great.”