Polite Society will open The Drawing Room, a private event space upstairs



Polite Society in Lafayette Square will soon expand its operations, one floor up. Co-owner Brian Schmitz said the restaurant, located at 1923 Park Ave., will open a private event space, dubbed The Drawing Room, on the second floor of the building.

Schmitz said construction is underway. He hopes to start booking the space in about a month and have the first series of events happening by mid-December.

Schmitz said the space won’t be used as a regular dining room; instead, it will have its own identity. He said the plan is to use The Drawing Room for private events, and tastings and classes without disturbing the regular Polite Society dining experience.

The 2,000-square-foot space will have its own kitchen and bar, and Schmitz said the plan is to eventually expand it even further up to the third floor. The space will have its own street entrance and will also be accessible via a “secret entrance” located behind a bookcase in Polite Society, speakeasy style.

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He said it’s possible The Drawing Room might also do business as a standalone bar at some point.

“We definitely have a vision of it becoming its own thing,” Schmitz said. “For the first season at least, we’re going to treat it as a special events center and get used to how it needs to be staffed and whatnot.” He said Polite Society will soon add a pastry chef to the staff soon and may use The Drawing Room as a pastry test kitchen.

“We’re just going to build it and then find out,” Schmitz said. “Every space has its own logistics and identity, so we’re going to build a beautiful spot and then see how we want to use it in the future.”

Matt Sorrell is staff writer at Sauce Magazine.