Music venue comes together in the Blue Dome district

By ROBERT EVATT World Staff Writer - 11/4/2009


The small, gutted school bus that stayed inside 104 S. Detroit Ave. during the building’s several incarnations as clubs and music venues was distinctive, but the space’s newest tenant, Angie DeVore-Green, said she needed room to accomplish her big plans for a music and events center.

“We had to take the bus apart piece by piece to get it out, but we wanted to open up the space a little more,” she said.

When renovations to the 14,000-square-foot building are completed, DeVore-Green plans to bring high-energy dancing back to downtown as well as comfortable spaces to hang out, room for special events and a home for traveling bands that normally skip stopping in Tulsa. The venue will house Enso full time within a few weeks and eventually IDL Ballroom and the Electric Circus.

“Even though traveling acts would like to play the Cains, a lot of them aren’t big enough,” she said. “And the other places are a little too small for them.”

To say DeVore-Green has some experience in live music performances would be an understatement — she books acts for D-Fest, and said she’s developed a good relationship with managers as a result of the annual undertaking.

She’s also married to D-Fest CEO Tom Green, who is assisting her with the overhaul of the building.

The southeast part of the structure, which has long been divided into three segments, is already home to Enso, a contemporary bar that will play host to acoustic acts and DJs when it officially opens for nightly hours later this month.

Spider Ball, a Halloween bash that served as a test run for Enso, was a big success, DeVore-Green said.

“There were over a thousand people going through,” she said. “We did it for free since we wanted people to come in and take a peek.”

DeVore-Green said she remodeled Enso to give it a cleaner, brighter and more contemporary look so it could give off a comfortable vibe.

As for the other two spaces, the smaller one is slated to become the Electric Circus, a DJ and dance venue, next year.

“I want it to sit in between a European/New York dance club that’s more over-the-top than the venues we have in Tulsa,” she said.

The larger of the two will become the IDL Ballroom once renovations are finished in the spring. In addition to traveling acts, DeVore-Green said the space could be used for special events and dance parties.

But she wants to be careful not to step on the toes of other restaurants and bars in the area by scheduling too many events. DeVore-Green said her aim is to complement the neighborhood with additional entertainment options that are not already available.

“I want to be really thoughtful about all the other places around here that are doing shows,” she said, “and I don’t want to create a situation where we’re oversaturating the market.”





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