FWD-Flats-rendering

A rendering shows the conceptual design for FWD (pronounced "forward"), a seasonal nightclub planned for the east bank of the Flats. Michael Schwartz and Bobby Rutter expect to use 9.5-foot-tall recycled shipping containers to form the walls of the open-air venue, which would sit at the northwest corner of the 23-acre Flats East Bank development site.

(Stephen Ciciretto; FWD Flats LLC)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A novel open-air nightclub planned for the east bank of the Flats could use recycled shipping containers to transition between slick new apartments to the south and an industrial strip along Lake Erie.

Concepts presented last week to a Cleveland design review committee show what business partners Michael Schwartz and Bobby Rutter envision at FWD -- pronounced "forward" -- at the Flats East Bank project. The seasonal club, which the investors aim to open around May 15, could hold 1,000 people between its cabanas, stage and dance floor.

And yes, Cleveland, there will be no roof. So what happens when it rains? Jack Bialosky, Jr., a member of the city's downtown and Flats design review committee, wondered aloud on Thursday.

"That's it," said Stephen Ciciretto, the architect. "You go home or you get wet."

A pile of dirt occupies the future club FWD site (at left), just north of a 243-unit apartment building, at the Flats East Bank project in June.

The Wolstein Group and Fairmount Properties, the developers behind the 23-acre Flats East Bank, have talked about a seasonal club since at least 2011.

Last week's design-review meeting marked the first public presentation of the FWD concept, which looks more like something you'd find in Las Vegas or South Beach than on the eastern edge of the Cuyahoga River.

A rendering shows 9.5-foot-tall shipping containers forming the walls of the 15,000-square-foot club. Oriented north toward the railroad tracks and the lake, the venue would include a covered stage, VIP area and cabanas. Metal buildings would line the site's northern border.

Rutter, an attorney, and Schwartz, who has launched and sold clubs in Cleveland and Atlanta, expect to bring in DJs from Chicago, New York and other cities. They plan to open FWD in mid-May each year and to operate on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights into October. They're also considering weekend afternoon hours, when the dance floor might become a space for lounging on daybeds in the sun.

In the off-season, the owners would strip down the venue and store their equipment elsewhere, securing the property.

A rendering shows the 243-unit apartment building at the Flats East Bank project in downtown Cleveland. A seasonal nightclub would occupy a site north of the apartments, near the Cuyahoga River's edge.

"We're going to roll the dice that we can make it work 22 weeks a year," Schwartz said during a phone interview. "Some people think we're crazy. We think Clevelanders will go for this, but it will reach way beyond Clevelanders. There's not a venue like this in the Midwest."

FWD wouldn't be the first - or last - project in Cleveland to use old shipping containers, which have become popular building blocks in cities.

A temporary restaurant, housed in a container, is scheduled to open this summer on a former skateboard-park site at North Coast Harbor. In other neighborhoods, containers provide shelter for bicycles or act as farm stands. Last year, a proposal to line Warehouse District parking lots with container stores garnered attention and donations during a crowd-funding contest.

"It's almost a good feeling of the Rust Belt," Schwartz said. "To me, when you look at an old shipping container, it's like looking at a historic building. ... It does that, and it provides a level of mystery to what's behind the container."

Earmarked for a site north of a 243-unit apartment building and west of a parking lot, the club can't open until the dust settles from the residential construction.

The owners are working with sound and light experts from Chicago to bring in high-quality equipment for the project, a $1.5 million development. All of the speakers will face north, away from the apartments, which are scheduled to open next year.

An elevation plan shows potential side views of the seasonal nightclub planned at the Flats East Bank project.

Rutter said he and Schwartz don't believe there's a market for another large, year-round, indoor nightclub. Instead, they're hoping that the prospect of sunsets, stargazing and spinning by DJs who currently bypass Cleveland will lure enough patrons once the weather breaks and people hanker to be outside.

"We designed the venue for people who are plus-30," said Rutter, who is 33 years old and moved back to the Cleveland area from Chicago a few years ago.

The venue will include a handful of bars and table-service areas. FWD will not have a kitchen, though Rutter said desserts and other snacks might be available in the cabanas. Cover charges for most shows could be $10 to $20.

The concept met with general applause from the downtown design review committee, including members who were skeptical early on. The committee, and the Cleveland City Planning Commission, will review the project again as the design evolves and the construction schedule becomes firmer.

"I'm glad that there's somebody around here who's willing to invest in this kind of stuff," said committee member Thomas Zarfoss. "The more I look at it, the cooler it gets."