Cedd Moses, the don of spirit bar empire 213 and one of the early architects behind Downtown’s revival, wants to open a new 17,000-square-foot project that would offer pizza, skeeball, cocktails, ping pong, and beer crafted on site, in the former home of Crazy Gideon’s on Traction Avenue in fall of 2014. The trouble is, many residents of Downtown’s Arts Districts are trying to block the project, concerned that a 700-person capacity club would blow their sense of calm. “It’s just too big,” one 35-year neighborhood resident tells L.A. Downtown News today, satisfied with the area’s current beer offerings like Wurstkuche and the newly reopened Angel City Brewery. Moses’ concept, initially supported by The Los Angeles River Artists and Business Association before the organization turned against it, is now at the center of an effort to deny it any permits.
Moses has the backing of Arts District Business Improvement and contends that his project is merely a family-friendly, community-involved brewpub that aims to offer the neighborhood a fun venue based around activities more than drinking, the owner has already been made to close two outdoor patios over noise complaints and hasn’t managed to convince everyone this one will be any quieter. Downtown local Jason Bird tells the paper, “They want to put a massive brewery pub right smack in the middle of four apartment buildings that will bring 1,000 idiots to the neighborhood.”
