It's hosted concerts by Blake Shelton, Bret Michaels, Grace Potter and Uncle Kracker, among many others, and it's about to undergo renovation and a grand re-opening.

Located at 817 Garrison Ave. and previously known at separate times as The Sound Room and Neumeier's Rib Room & Beer Garden, Majestic will offer area residents and visitors a way to enjoy national-touring acts and take part in various charity, corporate and private events in the coming months, said Fort Smith native Brian Crowne, one of the owners and managing partners for the new venue.

The finalization of the sale of the 10,252-square-foot venue from the owners of The Sound Room to Majestic Fort Smith LLC happened Tuesday and was the first step in helping in the on-going revitalization process of downtown Fort Smith, he said. The venue is expected to open sometime in the summer, with the date for a debut event to be announced later.

"We will be building a new stage," Crowne said. "I want to feel like we can give a little more connectivity to the room by increasing the size of the stage. I think we can make a little more room on that stage for national-touring artists.

"And the mezzanine is attractive," Crowne added. "We want to open up what I call premium seating where the bar is now on the second floor. We will reorient that bar."

Plans call for the "large parts of renovation" to begin in a couple of weeks, said Crowne, who also will continue to own George's Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville and serve as vice president for the Walmart AMP in Rogers.

"The capacity is 808 people for Majestic, so the capacity will remain at about that," he said.

Some of the renovation will make Majestic a "year-round venue," rather than one that is open only during warm weather, said Steve Clark, another owner and partner for Majestic.

"There will be renovation of the floor itself," said Clark, who is founder of 64.6 Downtown, the Future School of Fort Smith, The Unexpected and Noble Impact. "It will certainly be consistent with George's Majestic Lounge on Dickson (Street in Fayetteville)."

Crews from SSI Inc. will perform the renovation "with help from First Security Bank," said Sarah Sparks-Diebold, another team partner and owner of Majestic. The renovation is expected to last between 60 and 75 days, she said.

"It is extremely exciting to be a part of the transformation that is going on in downtown Fort Smith," Sparks-Diebold said. "There's a lot of creativeness and excitement, and the combination of the four partners all bring in unique, diverse skill set and background to this. There's general business experience, community development experience and Brian's extensive career in the music business that will put in unique programming for the area."

When asked if food would be sold at Majestic, Crowne said he and the other partners "potentially are looking at having someone who wants to be in that kitchen space with us." The partners feel confident that their diversity will help the project, he said.

"Bringing Brian Crowne's expertise from George's Majestic and his operation of the Walmart AMP, and bringing that high-quality, national leadership and management to Garrison Avenue is a great thing," Clark said. "Personally, I think we have the opportunity to take one of the very best individuals on the music scene, Brian Crowne, and marry that to a venue that has been a long-time player in a scene of excellent music acts."

Prior to being The Sound Room, the venue was called Neumeier's Rib Room & Beer Garden and was owned and operated for years by the late Bill Neumeier. When it operated as The Sound Room, the facility was the place of Blake Shelton's "surprise" concert, which took place literally hours after Shelton first announced it on social media.

Crowne said he initially considered becoming involved with the property about five years ago.

"We knew Bill was going to step out of the Rib Room & Beer Garden, but it wasn't my time to make that move," he said. "I am thankful to Bill — Bill was a friend I knew for almost 30 years. I'm thankful for Bill giving me opportunities with the bands I was in at the time.

"And I am thankful that the previous owners of The Sound Room were able to take it for three years and make some meaningful improvements," Crowne added. "I thought the timing was right for me now. It will be exciting to be back in downtown Fort Smith."

Clark and Crowne declined to reveal how much they and their partners paid for the property and how much renovations are expected to cost, although Clark added that the purchase was made "at market rate." They both called Majestic "a really good" investment for the community.

"This continues the spirit of revitalization of downtown Fort Smith, and it (shows) Garrison Avenue making progress that we would hope to see it make," Clark said. "It's indicative of people outside our community desiring to make investments in our community, and it's very affirming."

Crowne said he and his partners aim to have Majestic compliment, not compete against, other local establishments that host live music and other events.

"It may be where we can have one band play Majestic one night and then play George's in Fayetteville the next night," he said. "When bands are routing, that will be helpful.

"And it's about being part of a team," Crowne added. "If someone else thinks a show would be best for Majestic, then that can happen, or if I think a show would be better suited for another local venue, then I could tell the band, 'Hey, call my friend, Jeff Gosey, at Harry's Downtown. I think that venue would be perfect for that show.' It's about working together, and that makes us all stronger."

Clark and Sparks-Diebold agreed.

"It's exciting because Brian is a Fort Smith native, and he isn't doing this to feel good about himself," Clark said. "Brian believes that the avenue is on the rise, as many of us do."

Sparks-Diebold called the Majestic property one of her favorite projects to date.

"Bill Neumeier started a great music thing in Fort Smith and we want to continue to honor Bill's legacy," she said. "I'm really, really excited about what's in store for us and the community. I can't wait."