LINCOLN PARK — Late-night revelers will have a new option in Lincoln Park with Friday's opening of Drop.
The club at 1909 N. Lincoln Ave. is outfitted with a few tables and couches in nooks along the flowing walls and will have DJs spinning nightly in a booth visible from all angles of the lounge.
"We are definitely trying to get the after-hours crowd," owner Arthur Knutson said. "Something outside of the Top-40-playing sports-bar realm doesn't really exist here."
Drop's underground location was last home to B Bar and before that Catacomb.
The club will be open until 4 a.m. — 5 a.m. on Saturdays. It will focus on local DJ talent and be outfitted with art on consignment from local artists.
Knutson hopes to draw in a crowd in the 22-to-30 range who are looking for a late-night option outside of the nearby spots such as Gamekeepers, The Store and the bars along Wells Street in Old Town.
"Lincoln Park definitely has a stigma to what it's nightlife is," he said. "What Chicago at large kind of lacks is a non-pretentious lounge-like gathering place."
Knutson, who moved to Chicago from Miami 10 years ago, said the design of the 100-person-capacity space drew upon Mediterranean influences.
Think Morocco and Persia.
Drop will open at 5 p.m. seven days a week.
By night, DJs will take the stage around midnight, and bottle service will be offered in a lounge-like setting similar to some Miami clubs.
"That's where I grew to love electronic music," Knutson said.
Drop opens Friday night with Madrid in the DJ booth.