Three years after announcing its expansion on the Lower East Side, Soho House is almost ready to open a new outpost at 139 Ludlow St.
Ludlow House, the latest branch of the private members’ club, is aiming for a May debut in a former funeral home and manufacturing building. Renovations have been ongoing for many months. In the past couple of days, a job posting went up on Craigslist. “Open interviews” will be held at Soho House’s Meatpacking District headquarters tomorrow and Wednesday for positions in Ludlow’s House’s food service operation.
Oftentimes, new businesses coming to the neighborhood work through the Lower East Side Employment Network to hire locally. Back in 2013, Community Board 3 chose to reject Soho House’s liquor permit application (it got the permit through the State Liquor Authority anyway). As a result, there was no agreement for local hiring. (SEE AN UPDATE REGARDING THIS POINT BELOW). At the same time, we understand, a commitment to create an outpost of the Educational Alliance’s art school, did come to fruition. It will be located in the basement of the Ludlow Street building.
There’s now a website for Ludlow House, complete with information about the various gathering spaces and membership details.
Here’s a rendering of the “Living Room,” described as a “comfortable space for meeting and working with a breakfast bar.”
“Lou’s Kitchen & Bar,” a “club bar with an open kitchen and all-day American-Italian menu.”
The “Velvet Room & Dark Room,” which is a space for members’ events and a screening room.
And “Ducked Up.” a “covered rooftop garden with a vegetarian Asian restaurant” which will also be “serving crispy duck.”
Ludlow House will be Soho House’s 16th location. The club, which started in London, is in major expansion mode. The Hollywood Reporter had the scoop on its California plans this past Friday.
UPDATE 3/9 It turns out that Soho House did, in fact, reach out to the Lower East Side Employment Network. We’re told a conversation about using the organization to access qualified local job candidates began at the end of February.
