Replica of old 9:30 Club, ‘The Atlantis,’ could soon open in DC

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to clarify that the exact opening date of The Atlantis has not been announced.

A replica of the original 9:30 Club — once the gritty heart of the D.C. area’s fledging punk scene — could soon open.

All indications are that “The Atlantis” is set to open May 30, according to a close reading of clues sprinkled across social media by 9:30 Club owner, I.M.P. Concerts.

The new club’s name appears to be a throwback to the name of the original space — located in the Atlantic Building, at 930 F Street near Mount Vernon Square — that was rechristened the 9:30 club in 1980.

The new club’s opening date would be 43 years to the day after the original 9:30 Club opened. (The venue moved to its current location at 815 V Street N.W. in January 1996.)

A tweet from the @TheAtlantisDC Twitter account posted Wednesday morning said, “All shall be revealed,” April 4.

<p>The Atlantis will be located adjacent to the current 9:30 location, at the same address of the former Satellite Room. That building has been torn down and a new one has been erected.</p>
<p>Crews on Wednesday were seen working at the site.</p>
<p>(It wasn’t clear from the street whether the hallway in the new venue will hark back to the long hallway at the old club on F Street that was frequently plastered with flyers for upcoming shows)</p>
<p> </p>

1/5

Crews are seen working on the new location of The Atlantis alongside the 9:30 Club in Northwest D.C. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)

The Atlantis will be located adjacent to the current 9:30 location, at the same address of the former Satellite Room. That building has been torn down and a new one has been erected.

Crews on Wednesday were seen working at the site.

(It wasn’t clear from the street whether the hallway in the new venue will hark back to the long hallway at the old club on F Street that was frequently plastered with flyers for upcoming shows)

<p>Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl <a href="https://wtop.com/local/2021/09/dave-grohl-breaks-news-replica-of-old-930-club-to-be-built-next-door-to-current-one/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first announced plans to resurrect the old club</a> at the end of a surprise concert in D.C. in September 2021, in the popular venue’s first show after the pandemic.</p>
<p>The old 9:30 club was long considered the “CBGB of D.C.”, playing host to a roster of punk and rock greats in the early days of their careers.</p>
<p> </p>

2/5

Crews are seen working on the new location of The Atlantis alongside the 9:30 Club in Northwest D.C. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl first announced plans to resurrect the old club at the end of a surprise concert in D.C. in September 2021, in the popular venue’s first show after the pandemic.

The old 9:30 club was long considered the “CBGB of D.C.”, playing host to a roster of punk and rock greats in the early days of their careers.

<p>“That’s where we all played first,” Grohl said in 2021. “That’s where REM played first. That’s where the [Red Hot] Chili Peppers played first. That’s where Nirvana played first.”</p>
<p>With a persistent smell and a crooked stage, it wasn’t the most luxurious of digs, but “magic happened in that room,” Grohl said.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>

3/5

Fans — including WTOP’s Neal Augenstein, with back turned and black jacket — enter the 9:30 Club at its original F Street location. (Courtesy Library of Congress)

“That’s where we all played first,” Grohl said in 2021. “That’s where REM played first. That’s where the [Red Hot] Chili Peppers played first. That’s where Nirvana played first.”

With a persistent smell and a crooked stage, it wasn’t the most luxurious of digs, but “magic happened in that room,” Grohl said.

<p>Shortly after Grohl announced the near-replica club would be built, a spokeswoman for I. M. P, which owns the 9:30 Club, said, “While the new club promises to look just like the original, it will not have the notorious stench nor the huge and plentiful rats that old-school patrons so fondly recall.”</p>
<p> </p>

4/5

The old venue featured a support beam right in front of the stage. (Library of Congress)

Shortly after Grohl announced the near-replica club would be built, a spokeswoman for I. M. P, which owns the 9:30 Club, said, “While the new club promises to look just like the original, it will not have the notorious stench nor the huge and plentiful rats that old-school patrons so fondly recall.”

5/5

Crews are seen working on the new location of The Atlantis alongside the 9:30 Club in Northwest D.C. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)

Since Grohl’s surprise announcement, clues have been trickling in from social media.

Recently, social media accounts for The Atlantis have appeared on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and the new venue already has a website.

A March 22 Twitter post includes a picture with what appears to be the club’s new logo.

pic.twitter.com/qXn8koJxHP

— TheAtlantisDC (@TheAtlantisDC) March 22, 2023

“On May 30, 1980, the original 9:30 Club opened. Before that, the venue was called … The Atlantis,” the post said, followed by the phrase “Where Music Begins.”

It’s not clear from the social media postings who will be giving the debut performance in the new venue.

The D.C. blog PoPville first reported the new club’s expected opening.

Neal Augenstein

Neal Augenstein has been a general assignment reporter with WTOP since 1997. He says he looks forward to coming to work every day, even though that means waking up at 3:30 a.m.

Jack Moore

Jack Moore joined WTOP.com as a digital writer/editor in July 2016. Previous to his current role, he covered federal government management and technology as the news editor at Nextgov.com, part of Government Executive Media Group.