Crobar is an awarding winning and internationally renowned nightlife brand owned by partners, and founders, Ken Smith and Callin Fortis. Originally friendly competitors in Chicago, they joined forces in 1989 to collaborate on more than a dozen successful restaurants, lounges and nightclubs in Chicago, Miami, and New York City. It was the duo’s impact on the revival of New York’s big club nightlife that earned Fortis and Smith a spot in Vanity Fair’s Spotlight spread on “The Kings and Queens of Clubs” in 2004. (Vanity Fair, April 2004)
The Crobar “chain was born” in 1992 when the first location opened in Chicago’s Near North neighborhood, “thus launching the brand that would become the industry standard for DJ-driven American nightclubs.” (100 Moments in Nightclub History, Club Systems International, Special Issue 2006).
Followed by locations in South Beach Miami on New Year’s Eve 1999, and West Chelsea in New York City in December 2003, Crobar was recognized for its “award winning design, unsurpassed service and world-class sound, lighting and multi-media (that) invited club-goers into a kinetic, interactive scene” (NYC Official City Guide, www.cityguidemagazine.com). Crobar New York was described as “a DJ’s favorite playground, a diva’s late-night martini, a drag queen’s Sunday dance party … the physical implementation of New York’s melting pot social scene.” (Nightclub & Bar, March 2006, www.nightclub.com)
As the nightclub designer of all of the pair’s past projects, Fortis and his BigTime Design www.bigtimedesignstudios.com was responsible for conceiving the re-invention of the historic Art Deco Cameo Theater into Crobar Miami, the re-design of Crobar Chicago to match, and the transformation of a 25,000 square foot industrial warehouse into Crobar New York. (Loft, April 2004, www.loft.com)
Recognized for its light system designed by SJ Lighting and superior Phazon sound system designed by Steve Dash as well as it’s architectural design, Crobar was able to count many of the world’s largest names in Electronic music as regulars, some as resident DJs – including Sasha, Tiesto, Danny Tenaglia, Deep Dish, Carl Cox, Sander Kleinenberg, Roger Sanchez, David Morales, Boris, Ferry Corsten, Larry T, David Waxman, Ralph Falcon, and Eric Morillo, to name just a few. (Nightclub & Bar, March 2006) (Top 100 DJs List found on www.djmag.com and www.djlist.com).
“I have played Crobar 5 times now, and every time has been amazing. I have been playing in New York since 1999, and I’ve played at almost every club there. I never found the right place to play for me until I found Crobar. Great Room. Super Sound System. And an awesome crowd.” DJ Tiesto (Nightclub & Bar, March 2006, www.nightclub.com)
All three Crobar locations garnered regular nominations in national and international award categories and won numerous “best of” awards over multiple years for design, lighting, sound, resident VJ, resident DJ, as well as in the overall categories of best nightclub, best superclub, best megaclub, and best dance club.
Although as of April 2010 the North American locations have all closed there are future locations in development in Atlantic City, and Charlotte