Fire destroys Five Spot nightclub
By Tom Avril
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
A four-alarm fire destroyed a well-known city nightclub this morning, filling several blocks of Old City with thick black smoke and shutting down traffic in parts of the busy neighborhood for much of the day.
At least one wall collapsed at the Five Spot - a complex of four buildings on narrow Bank Street just south of Market Street - and emergency workers were preparing last night to demolish another that looked unstable.
Firefighters needed two hours to control the blaze after it was reported at 9:31 a.m., but they were still dousing the smoky ruins well into the afternoon. No one was injured, but eight people were evacuated from nearby apartments, Fire Department Deputy Chief Mike Roeshman said. The cause of the blaze was unclear.
The Five Spot brought an eclectic mix to Old City's bustling club scene, hosting swing bands and jazz, Latin music and hip-hop. Jill Scott performed at the club, as did jazz trombonist Jeff Bradshaw. The club also presented a monthly burlesque revue, which had been scheduled for tonight.
Lovett Hines, a longtime guru of the Philadelphia jazz scene, said the club was a creative cauldron of sorts for "neo-soul" music.
"It became almost like a beacon for all of those young new talents who were trying out new ways to do the new music," said Hines, director of education at the Clef Club at Broad and Fitzwater Streets.
Owner Philip Cohen, who opened the Five Spot in 1996, said he had learned of the fire when a friend called him. He went to the club and commiserated with friends and employees.
"It was heart-wrenching," said Cohen, of Gloucester City. "A lot of us were in tears."
He said he had planned since the fall to sell the club and had entered into a tentative agreement with a new owner whom he declined to identify.
According to a city government Web site, Cohen owes thousands of dollars in back taxes on the Five Spot's buildings, but Cohen said that had nothing to do with his trying to sell the place.
"It was just time," he said in a phone interview. "We were looking to sell... to somebody who would carry on the tradition."
An adjacent nightspot, the Red Sky restaurant and lounge on Market Street, suffered no damage. But fire officials did not let employees into the building until late afternoon. Owner Scott Stein said that the bar would be open later in the evening, but that he had to cancel 250 dinner reservations - a loss of thousands of dollars, he said.
"It's devastating," Stein said. "In the same breath, we're just thankful we still have a building."
Two other businesses, Skinner's Dry Goods tavern and Sonny's Steaks, suffered water damage and remained closed pending the demolition work last night at the Five Spot. Parts of eastern Market and Chestnut Streets were closed for much of the day.
City Managing Director Pedro Ramos praised the Fire Department for containing a major fire in such a dense area. Fire officials won't be able to determine a cause until they enter the Five Spot buildings, which Ramos said they would not do until the unstable wall was demolished.
Cohen also is an owner of a historic 21-room hotel and restaurant in the Catskills, the Lexington Hotel, which is for sale at $399,000, according to a Web posting. The hotel ceased operation last summer after a small fire damaged three of the upstairs bathrooms, according to the owners' description on the Web site.
Fire destroyed a building that hosted the Five Spot night club in Philadelphia’s historic Old City section. No one was injured in the blaze,

Firefighters battled for two hours to control the flames and people were evacuated from nearly buildings. Reports indicate that at least one wall inside the group of buildings that make the Five Spot collapsed, causing major structural damage. The fire was contained to three buildings, authorities say.

The Five Spot brought an eclectic mix to Philadelphia’s Old City section where the business had thrived for 11 years. 

During an interview the owner said, "It was just time. We were looking to sell ... to somebody who would carry on the tradition." 

Lovett Hines, a longtime guru of the Philadelphia Jazz music scene said the club was a creative caldron of sorts for the neo-jazz genre. Cohen of Gloucester City said, “It was heart-wrenching; A lot of us were in tears.”