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After Delay, Swanky Club Aims For Tuesday Opening

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By TOM BRENNAN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 26, 2009

TAMPA - The ultramodern Aja lounge is expected to open its doors Tuesday, if it can pass its final round of city inspections.

The two-story, 12,000-square-foot lounge in the Towers of Channelside, 1103 Cumberland Ave., was scheduled to open Saturday night but had to cancel when its owners couldn't get a certificate of occupation.

Enrique DeJesus, marketing director for the club's corporate overseer, predicts it will sail through the city's last checks. He said the club has been booked for Super Bowl parties through Sunday, including Pamela Anderson's Athletes and Angels event Saturday.

John Barrios, the city's construction services division manager, said this afternoon that the club still needs to pass inspection for about half of its city permits. He said it isn't unusual for delays in construction projects.

"It is all part of the normal process," he said.

DeJesus said inspectors found the club didn't have the proper bathroom signs installed or a railing on the patio though all the equipment was on site and would have been up by the Saturday opening.

DeJesus said the club will open at 9 p.m. Tuesday for those who bought $20 tickets to the canceled grand opening.

Among the club's architects was Kirk Blaschke, who worked with Frank Gehry, designer of the Guggenheim Museum in Spain. The club will have four bars and an outdoor patio. The project cost about $4.24 million.

Reporter Tom Brennan can be reached at (813) 259-7698 or tbrennan@tampatrib.com.

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