A city staff report says The Victorian will move from "its current use as a restaurant, bar, and nightlife venue into a family-based recreation, events, and wellness destination." The building at 2640 Main St. belongs to the city, so its next life was settled in a council vote months before the club posted its goodbye on Instagram. The Los Angeles Times reported that the City Council approved the lease transfer in March.
That's the pattern across town this fall. Most of what you'll notice changing between now and New Year's sits on public property. The Victorian runs on a city lease, the holiday market on the Pier deck needed a city agreement, and the reason you can't use the Moomat Ahiko Way ramps is a city bridge project. Private businesses are closing too, but on the public sites, what comes next is already part of the city's record.
The Victorian's last party follows a lease transfer the council already approved
The Victorian has been open for 20 years, and its last weekend is its annual Halloween party on Saturday, Oct. 31. During the day it serves weekend brunch, dinner and happy hour. On weekends DJs play the basement, main floor and upstairs, and the club has run weekly salsa and bachata lessons.
The Santa Monica Daily Press first reported what replaces it. City records show a private members club with a pool, spa, fitness center and coffee bistro, run by Santamonican Club LLC. Early concept designs add a new pool and more greenery.
If you shop Main Street on Sunday mornings, one lease term matters more than the rest. The new operator has to keep supporting the Sunday Main Street Farmers Market, which uses the property's parking lot. The new lease keeps the market in place.
The house has already been relocated once. It went up in 1903 at 1003 Ocean Ave. and was moved to 2640 Main St. in 1977, along with the Heritage Museum's "Roy Jones House." The city staff report says many of its building systems and earlier improvements "are now approaching the end of their useful life."
Tar & Roses closes Saturday on a private block
Tar & Roses, 602 Santa Monica Blvd., is a private storefront, and it's ending on a different schedule. Its last service is this Saturday, Oct. 24.
Chef Andrew Kirschner grew up in Santa Monica, and this was his first solo restaurant. It opened in 2012 around a wood-burning oven that nearly every plate passes through. The Los Angeles Times notes that the fried cauliflower led the late critic Jonathan Gold to wonder how a vegetable could be "more delicious than prime steak." Apart from six months closed after an oven fire in 2016, the restaurant was open continuously for nearly 15 years. Kirschner told the Times that business had declined slowly while rent, labor and insurance costs kept rising.
According to the Times, the kitchen will keep serving its fall menu through the final night, including balsamic-glazed ribs and wood-roasted baby carrots with chermoula crème fraîche.
The Pier gets busier as its bridge comes apart
The Pier shows the city's role most clearly. Crews are taking down the last section of the old Santa Monica Pier bridge and then building columns for the new span. The Santa Monica Daily Press reported that this is the largest piece of the bridge demolished since the project began. To make room, the Moomat Ahiko Way on- and off-ramps to Pacific Coast Highway are closed. The city's street closures page lists the closure as Sept. 28 to Nov. 28.
Detours for the rest of November:
- Southbound PCH: exit at the California Incline, or stay on eastbound I-10 to Lincoln Boulevard.
- Ocean Avenue to PCH: keep going north to the California Incline.
- The Pier itself: open throughout, with restaurants, shops and attractions operating.
The name of the closed road is Tongva and means "Breath of the Ocean," which city staff confirmed with the Gabrielino Tongva Tribal Council. The new bridge includes a 15-foot sidewalk for people on foot and on bikes, and the city's project page expects it to be finished before the 2028 Olympics.
Two big events will bring crowds onto the Pier during the closure.
Día de los Muertos, Sunday, Nov. 1. The Pier presents a free program from noon to 5:30 p.m. in the Merry-Go-Round Building, with installations up Oct. 31 through Nov. 1. The Pier's event page lists community ofrendas, face painting, an Aztec blessing at the west end, a procession, Ballet Folklorico, mariachi and live music. Sylvia Sanchez is the artist and producer.
Swiss Winter Village, from Nov. 18. Swiss Xmas Inc. and Fever are bringing a Swiss holiday market with vendors, seasonal food, family programming and an ice rink. The operator's site puts it on the Pier Event Deck from Wednesday, Nov. 18, through Jan. 3, 2027, with these hours:
| Days | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday to Wednesday | 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Thursday to Sunday | 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Christmas Eve | 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| New Year's Eve | 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. |
Those dates have moved before. In June the Santa Monica Daily Press reported that the city-approved agreement set the public market for Nov. 27 to Jan. 3, open noon to 11 p.m. Check the operator's site before you go. Tickets go through Fever, which was still taking waitlist and presale sign-ups in mid-October.
Last calls and first visits, by date
You still have time to say goodbye, and there's plenty opening up nearby. Here's what's coming, in order, starting tonight.
- Thursday, Oct. 22, 7:30 p.m. Eric Idle and "Weird Al" Yankovic in conversation and concert at the John Adams Middle School Performing Arts Center, 2425 16th St.
- Friday and Saturday, Oct. 23 to 24. L.A. Times Food Bowl at Barker Hangar, 3021 Airport Ave. Down the street, Eater LA lists Matilda's Bakery as open at 3200 Airport Ave., in a restored 1940s airport administration building.
- Saturday, Oct. 24. Last dinner at Tar & Roses.
- Tuesday, Oct. 27, 6 to 8 p.m. Walter Mosley at Miles Playhouse, 1130 Lincoln Blvd.
- Wednesday, Oct. 28, 3 to 6 p.m. Volley-Ween at Perry's Café and Beach Rentals, 2400 Ocean Front Walk. Santa Monica Travel & Tourism says registration is required and entry is $35 per person, with team pricing available. That evening, Santa Monica Place holds a Halloween-themed session of its free Western Wednesday line dancing.
- Saturday, Oct. 31. The Victorian's final Halloween party. Montana Avenue's Halloween Hop and downtown trick-or-treating have traditionally run that afternoon, usually 3 to 6 p.m. The city's Halloween safety notice advises confirming dates, times and locations before heading out.
- Sunday, Nov. 1. Día de los Muertos on the Pier, noon to 5:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, Nov. 18. Swiss Winter Village opens on the Pier Event Deck.
- Saturday, Nov. 28. End of the city's scheduled Moomat Ahiko Way ramp closure.
On the ocean side of downtown, Eater LA's heatmap lists West Side Oyster Club as new at 1355 Ocean Ave.
When a city-owned building changes hands, the change usually shows up first in lease terms like the farmers market clause on Main Street. If you'd like to talk through how changes like these could affect your block, or your plans for the home you're in, Matt Roth is glad to help. Let's Connect.
