To party like a good neighbor

For the better part of a decade, downtown L.A. real estate agents have been enticing residents to buy or rent lofts with the promise of real night-life options "coming soon."

This fall, it looks as if "soon" is "now."

Though plenty of bars have sprung up in recent years downtown, a different kind of night-life experience, a three-story club called Versus, will open at 6th and Spring streets inside the old Los Angeles Stock Exchange building next week.

But not everyone is happy about the sprouting of night-life options -- especially about Versus, which lies in the heart of downtown's loft district.

"There's a lot of concern among residents in the immediate area, because downtown's track record with clubs hasn't been so great in the past," said Rich Alossi, founder of the downtown-centric blog Angelenic.com, via e-mail. Alossi, who lives just down the street from Versus, has received more than 40 comments on his blog from residents concerned about possible noise.

"The [Stock Exchange] building is now surrounded with residences and a strong, close-knit community feeling," he said. Comments on Angelenic range from giddy ("I'm excited about the new venue and watching Spring Street come to life after dark," wrote one poster) to angry ("I don't care for this place at all," fumed another).

Versus' representatives said they are going to extraordinary lengths to reassure those in the area that their venue, which was once a Saturday night dance club simply called the Stock Exchange, is sensitive to noise issues.

"We're not a club like the Avalon," said Nico Bacigalupo, Versus' director of marketing. "We're providing a space for the whole community.

"We're not just doing dance music or R&B here," he continued. "We're doing cultural events. We're doing jazz and plays. Older crowds [in the neighborhood] are definitely welcome to come, and we want them to feel welcome here."

Residents have been invited to a VIP preview of the club Monday, a Fashion Week after-party featuring DJ Red. At the unveiling, crowds will probably swoon at the 1,000-plus-capacity space, with its 40-foot-high ceilings and modern design elements that have been grafted onto the Art Deco building. They include Brazilian walnut floors and a ground-floor smoking lounge with fountains.

The club's general manager, Mez Ayvatyan, said that Versus is working with the community to minimize the effect on those who live in pricey lofts nearby.