Church Street Station?

[mla973]

Whatever happened to this? None of the web links work. Is this section of town still worth visiting?

Any recommendations?

 

[iluvflorida]

It no longer exists and hasn't for a few years.

 

[mla973]

Hmmm... a few Sentinel articles made it sound like it was being revitalized. Guess that is not the case. Thanks!

 

[Jason71]

Short answer, Pleasure Island happened. It shut down a few years after.

There have been attempts to revive individual parts of it. A comedy club opened in the old Rosie O'Gradys, no idea if it is still open.

Plans were/are underway to reopen the Chyenne Saloon, as well, but the main developer just had his properties around town foreclosed on last week. According to the Sentinel this is still moving forward, but I have my doubts.

There are still a lot of clubs downtown in that general vicinity, although the demographic is a lot younger than what Church St. Station used to attract.

 

[deej696]

There is a lot of development happening in downtown Orlando. The church street area has had a condo highrise built in the last couple years. As far as the old "Station," Lou Pearlman, the producer behind Nsync and the Backstreet Boys, was supposed to be building an entertainment area there of some sort. Instead, he got the city to give him a bunch of money for the project, and then ripped off a bunch of other people in unrelated frauds. He has since been arrested, but only after the feds tracked him down in Thailand I believe...

 

[Jason71]

As far as the old "Station," Lou Pearlman, the producer behind Nsync and the Backstreet Boys, was supposed to be building an entertainment area there of some sort. Instead, he got the city to give him a bunch of money for the project, and then ripped off a bunch of other people in unrelated frauds. He has since been arrested, but only after the feds tracked him down in Thailand I believe...

And Cameron Kuhn, the guy who took it from Pearlman, is the one facing foreclosures (including, I believe, the highrise you mention, The Plaza). The City of Orlando is desperate to remake downtown into something it will never be, and that has led them to make some questionable decisions.

Here's a good overview, other owners are still claiming Chyennne will re-open in a few weeks (presumably as a country bar again?):

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-kuhn2508jan25,0,4844991.story

 

[deej696]

I used to work for the Grand Bohemian hotel downtown, and people always said that it would never succeed because it was out of place in downtown Orlando. The hotel has been a huge success, and it seemed that downtown Orlando as a whole was flourishing. I actually attended the press conference with Mayor Dyer when Cameron Kuhn announced the development of the old "Terror on Church St." into The Plaza. It seemed like a great idea at the time, but I guess as the article points out, he may have bit off more than he could chew...

 

[Clotho]

I have been reading up on this place, and sounds like it was a really fun collection of shops and restaurants, with theming and entertainment to rival what PI was offering. I did read some people saying that location made it somewhat dangeous at night near the end. But if it is revitalized, I would be interested to check it out! Now that PI is gone...where is a night owl to go...?

 

[MattM]

It no longer exists and hasn't for a few years.

This couldnt be further from true. Church Street Station isnt all it used to be, but it is showing signs of coming back. There are quite a few bars there, as well as some great restaurants (Kress Chophouse, and Ember is brand new, havent had a chance to eat there yet but hear its excellent). Yes, Cameron Kuhn is having troubles but that doesnt mean all his projects cease to progress.

I'd go down there and check it out...there is more to Orlando than Disney and downtown is a great part of it that many people never venture out to see.

 

[Clotho]

Looks like their website is gone, and most of the search results I get are old travel sites with limited info. can anyone supply links to info on the nightlife there?