500-seat facility will complement Track 29 at Choo Choo
Big doings are about to begin at the Chattanooga Choo Choo—and plans include a new 500-seat sister music venue to Track 29.
A bevy of city and county officials was on hand on Monday, July 28 to hear former mayor Jon Kinsey announce that the $8 million renovation of the Choo Choo property, designed to open up all of the Market and 14th Street area as part of the planned city “entertainment district”, will break ground on Friday.
Along with the new music facility, by spring 2015, according to projections, the Choo Choo property will also be home to the Comedy Catch (moving from its long-time Brainerd Road home to another new 500-seat venue), along with The Blue Fish Restaurant & Oyster Bar and Sam’s All-American Sports Grill.
No major details were provided about the music facility, but clearly the intention is to create a venue that will complement Track 29 by booking artists better suited to a mid-sized auditorium rather than the 1,200-1,700-person T29. Look for more information in The Pulse’s upcoming State of the Arts issue on Aug. 14. — Janis Hashe