Lafayette's Music Room in Overton Square will be expanding by mid-February, moving its stage back to its original spot from the early 1970s when mega acts like Kiss, Kansas, and Billy Joel played before becoming huge superstars.
Lafayette’s re-opened at 2119 Madison Avenue in Overton Square three years ago, after originally being a popular spot in the early 1970s.
“For those guests that enjoyed us back in ‘70s, this is going to bring back some fond memories for them,” said Lafayette’s general manager Julian Salley. “The really cool opportunity we have here is to create something awesome for local Memphis.”
Lafayette's offers nightly live onstage music along with a full menu by executive chef Jody Moyt.
For the upcoming 1,300-square-foot expansion, the venue’s current stage setup will be pushed back 20 feet into its original space, which had been occupied in recent years by The Attic clothing store. The additional space will allow for a new green room area for performers and will increase capacity by up to 80 guests (the current capacity is 275 guests).
The general contractor on the project is Dale Wells.
Last May, Lafayette’s upgraded with the addition of indoor/outdoor bars serving two stories of patio space in the historic building.
“It opened up the building a lot more, especially on Friday and Saturday nights when we have major rock acts onstage. You know when we’re open in Overton Square because we’re shaking every brick on the street,” said Salley.
Lafayette's Music Room will remain open while the upcoming expansion is underway.
Additionally, a portion of the space that had been occupied by The Attic will be converted to a new concept, Midtown Mercantile, which will be a retail shop providing a curated collection of one-of-a-kind local gifts and designs from beloved Midtown institutions.
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