Turns out the end of Sundae Sound isn't the only hit the local music scene is taking this month. After 26 years, the Warehouse is closing its doors. I've copied the full statement from the venue's Facebook page below, but the short of it seems to be a perfect storm of liquor license, zoning and building issues, which have been in the works since the crackdown on the Warehouse's "private club" status.

It's pretty much impossible to pin a single sound or clientelle on the Warehouse and Underground, but the two venues have served as a hub for any number of scenes around the city, from metal to goth and industrial to dance and punk. They were always adventurous with their programming (highlights from the last couple years have included genre-pushing bands like Battles and Health, Polaris Prize-winner Caribou, insane dance parties from Girl Talk and Champion, and an unbelievable set from Japan's Boredoms at the first Sled Island fest), and for the most part, their DJ nights and shows all aimed to promote music that you simply couldn't hear anywhere else in the city.

In short, this sucks. The full statement from the Warehouse's owner Chris Hewitt follows:

There has obviously been much speculation after the surprise suspension of our liquor licence last weekend by the liquor board but I'm sorry to have to officially confirm all the rumours. The Warehouse and The Underground are closed permanently as of today.

After nearly 26 years in operation as a private club, the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission began having an increasing number of issues with the business in the last 2 years. Despite a great deal of dialogue with them, they saw fit to surprise us with a visit last weekend and suspend our licence at 8:45 PM, a mere 15 minutes before opening on a Friday night and clearly at a time when there was nothing that could be done about it. It is certain that they were aware of the severe financial impact this would have on the business but their stance is that they acted "as soon as they were able to do so".

Unable to argue, we closed for the weekend and then met with Calgary Police and City officials on Tuesday. They informed me that the loss of our liquor licence affected our business licence by association and that our premises would no longer be zoned correctly to be a nightclub as it had always been designated as a private club/ restaurant in accordance with our special status, originally administered in 1984. As the liquor board was forcing us to apply for a different class of licence, the private club tag would no longer be suitable for our usage. Applying to have the premises re-zoned would be a 7 week waiting period with no guarantee of success and a staggering series of costs associated with the process as well as an endless list of inspections that a building the age of The Warehouse would simply never pass.

All of these factors combined at a very difficult time for the club as a new lease was also in the process of being negotiated with a new landlord. His goal was to revitalize the building and he was open to having The Warehouse be a part of that process but requested some serious renovations to bring the room up to date. There would also have been an enormous jump in the monthly lease cost.

When faced with all of these issues, there was only one clear and unfortunate decision to have to make. With so many unanswered questions, resistance from every form of bureaucrat imaginable and a need for far more money than the club will ever have, The Warehouse has had to call it a day.

Clearly this is very distressing for everybody involved but there were simply no options. There will be a massive hole in the Calgary nightlife now, no matter how anybody felt about the club. After countless numbers of amazing live shows and DJ events, few clubs will ever boast the kind of history that The Warehouse had been making for over 2 1/2 decades. Almost everybody in the city had been there at least once and many of you had been there dozens of times.

There are far too many people that I would need to thank individually after so many years at the club. I can say that the business never would have survived for 26 years without the hard work and dedication of all the staff, management and promoters involved. Equal thanks is owed to all of you for coming out and supporting the many concerts and events week after week. The club's notoriety reached far beyond the edge of our city and we were all a part of that.

I had an amazing time at the club. Most of my adult life had been spent DJing, managing and owning The Warehouse. In 11 years there, it certainly contributed a great deal to the person I am today. I met good people, heard great music and had countless wonderful nights. I'm honestly not sure what will happen next in the club scene for me, if anything at all, but I can't say for certain that I will never try it out again... just not for a while.

If any of you are ever looking for a little bit of The Warehouse spirit and feel like some good live music or just a few drinks, you're welcome to come down and visit me at Dickens Pub any time.

Chris Hewitt