Bar With '80s-Style Arcade Games Coming to 14th Street
By Sophia Barnes ••
Pinball. Frogger. Pac Man. Bubble hockey.
Does the sound of those games make you squirm with excitement? Then we have news for you: A bar with 1980s arcade games is set to open on 14th Street NW in D.C.
The bar, called Players Club, will feature six pinball machines, old-school arcade video games like Gauntlet, billiards, skee ball and bubble hockey.
The owner, Ian Hilton, wants patrons to feel like they’ve walked into a 1980s basement, complete with lots of TVs, an old school jukebox, lounging areas and tons of games, he said in an email.
Players Club is Hilton’s newest venture, but he’s familiar with the D.C. and Logan Circle bar scene. Hilton and his brother, Thievery Corporation’s Eric Hilton, own several restaurants and watering holes in D.C. Two of them, The Gibson and Marvin, are walking distance from Players Club.
The business can seat 90 people and accommodate a maximum of 275 guests, Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration documents say.
You’ll have until 2 a.m. on weekdays and 3 a.m. on weekends to game, drink and be nerdy, the documents show.
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The local advisory neighborhood commission moved to block Players Club's liquor license, but Hilton said he hopes to have all the permits in place soon.
The bar is set to open in February, he said.
Formerly the First Church of Christ, Scientist, The LINE DC has been largely renovated on the inside -- but the outside retains the neoclassical revival architecture.
In addition to a coffee shop, visitors can find three restaurants and two bars in The LINE DC. Chef Erik Bruner-Yang's Brothers and Sisters is already serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Set to open Jan. 24, A Rake's Progress, spearheaded by award-winning chef Spike Gjerde, aims to make mid-Atlantic classics with local ingredients. In February, Spoken English will begin offering Asian-fusion dishes until midnight.
The new hotel held onto some of the building's history by making old organ pipes into a chandelier. "Weren't able to save the organ, but saved the pipes," the LINE DC's managing director Crawford Sherman told News4.
The hotel features a radio station, Full Service Radio, that broadcasts local voices from the lobby.
Designers were inspired by classic D.C. furnishings.
The hotel isn't just meant for guests form out of town. Sherman hopes the community will feel welcome -- and free Wi-Fi in the lobby will encourage locals to stick around.
The church was empty for about 25 years before the hotel was built.
Families, couples and adventurers should all feel welcome, Sherman said. Prices for a weekend stay in February began at $165 nightly, according to The LINE DC's website.
Replicas of historic D.C. furniture, paintings and prints by local artists and a small library supplied by Adams Morgan bookstore Idle Books can be found in each room.
The hotel offers room service 24 hours a day, according to the website.
