Floyd Lovelady didn’t own R Place but he made the E Pine at Boylston what it was through decades of Capitol Hill queer nightlife. Lovelady is ready to continue that spirit — off the Hill.

The Comeback will be a new LGBTQIA+ club with dancing, performances, and good times on 1st Ave south of the stadiums in the industrial mix of commerce, clubs, and nightlife growing in the city’s SoDo neighborhood.

“I wanted a place where we could be as noisy as we want,” Lovelady tells CHS.

After more than 30 years of partying and the occasional noise complaint, R Place lost its Capitol Hill lease during the pandemic and was cleared out of its decades of nightlife memories. Neighborhood tech firm Add3 has been eyeing a deal for a new headquarters, and space for new club in the building, the 1917-built Bothell Motors garage at E Pine and Boylston where R Place made its home under longtime owners Richard Elander and Steve Timmons.

With R Place’s ownership likely ready to move on to new chapters, Lovelady’s new project represents the heart and soul of the old joint moved to new turf with room for bigger dreams. The new space, formerly the Eden Seattle venue, will have about twice as much room for dancing and drinking, plus new features like a patio, Lovelady says.

Eden Seattle’s layout shows plenty of space to work with

“Big dreamer, big thinker” architect and former mayoral candidate Andrew Grant Houston is handling design of the new venue, Lovelady tells CHS. Versatility will be key with a venue that can transition from go go dancer club with a 40-foot stage to a Sunday morning Seahawks party.

SoDo, meanwhile, represents an exciting “hub” for Lovelady in an area he believes is easily accessed from points across the city and around the greater Seattle area. Big openings like Supernova are also exciting signs of growth, he says, in a neighborhood that actively recruited the planned gay dance club business through the SODO Business Improvement Area organization.

Lovelady said he is also thankful that lenders got behind The Comeback and his 20 years of nightlife experience.

“The bank saw the 20 year history,” Lovelady said. “They wanted to help rebuild the community.”

The hope is for The Comeback to be ready for action by December.

“For what we do, it’s perfect,” Lovelady said.

The Comeback is planned to open before the end of the year at 1950 1st Ave. You can learn more at thecomebackseattle.com.

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