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Work Bars and nightlife

Trax

A record-lounge bar inside Live Nation's Fillmore Minneapolis, with a wall of vinyl and stage lights as chandeliers.

Minneapolis, Minnesota · 2020 · Bar and restaurant within a music venue

Trax bar with a long wall of illuminated record casework and stools

Part of Live Nation's entertainment enterprise in downtown Minneapolis, The Fillmore hosts Trax, a live-performance-inspired bar and restaurant.

Named one of the Best New Twin Cities Restaurants of 2020 by Minnesota Monthly.

01 The assignment

Design a bar and restaurant that serves a major music venue before and after shows, and holds its own as a destination on nights with nothing on the marquee.

02 The design response

Inspired by recording studios and vinyl records, the space features more than 50 linear feet of record casework as part of the bar, with the adjacent DJ booth constructed from reclaimed vintage speakers and credenzas. Repurposed stage lighting hangs as chandeliers. A raised seating platform doubles as a stage, backed by egg-crate cast concrete that is both a striking visual element and an acoustic damper.

03 How it operates

The raised platform converts from seating to a performance stage, so the room can host its own programming independent of the main hall.

04 Materials and custom elements

Cast-concrete egg-crate wall, stained timber record casework, reclaimed speakers and credenzas, repurposed stage lighting, leather stools and vintage rugs.

Trax bar with a long wall of illuminated record casework and stools
Wide view of Trax with high tables, rugs and the record wall behind the bar
Egg-crate cast-concrete wall behind a booth at Trax
Back bar at Trax with stage lights and screens set into timber casework
Detail of record shelving at Trax with a Doors album on display
High tables and stools on vintage rugs at Trax
Trax bar seen from a high table, record casework curving overhead

Recognition

  • Minnesota Monthly · 2020 Best New Twin Cities Restaurants

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