Maybe it’s just us, but it feels like Philadelphians could use a few more laughs these days. But having a comedian tell jokes to an audience can’t just happen willy-nilly in Philadelphia. Regrettably, this means that the proposed Claude’s Comedy Club & Bar at 1123-25 S Broad St. will require the approval of the zoning board before any laughs or even chuckles may legally commence.
Building on his career in live entertainment, working with venues like Underground Arts and Union Transfer, neighborhood resident Reid Benditt hopes his new comedy club can bring in established performers and also help nurture the local Philadelphia comedy scene. Maybe then, some of the comics who hone their craft in Philadelphia won’t feel the need to run off to NYC so quickly.
The property is question is zoned for commercial use, allowing the club to easily secure a by-right zoning permit for a bar and sit-down restaurant. But a stand-up club requires securing a special exception from the zoning board, which involves a nearly identical process to procuring a zoning variance, just with a lower threshold for approval. The effort to receive the special exemption for stand-up comedy began in earnest on Tuesday evening when Mr. Benditt meet with the South Broad Street Neighborhood Association to discuss the proposal.
The restaurant/club will have a maximum capacity of 213 people, with the comedy club portion partitioned off from the restaurant and bar by quietrock walls to dampen any extra noise. The non-controversial project attracted only a handful of neighbors to the RCO meeting, and those folks were broadly in support. A community benefits agreement has been reached over the operations of the business, so we’re going to assume this project will face a friendly audience when it goes to the ZBA in July.
The new business seeks to occupy the basement of the building, which was most recently occupied by a thrift store. A pretty diverse set of tenants are using other parts of this building, ranging from a check cashing & pawn shop on the ground floor, to a dress maker, offices, and even a church. From old zoning records we can see the building has had all sorts of uses over the years, being used variously as a warehouse, a tax office, and a building material supply shop. From old newspaper records we can find even more former uses, including clothing manufacturing, a furniture shop, and a restaurant.
With a 53 unit apartment building having recently gone up next door along with all of the new housing going up around Washington Avenue and Broad Street, there’s a growing roster of potential customers living nearby. And the location right next to the subway station makes it accessible for many more potential visitors, as long as Septa doesn’t end up implementing a 9pm curfew for the subway and MFL. We sure hope that doesn’t happen – if it did, the joke would definitely be on all of us.