Christian Riemenschneider of Brothers Lounge

It took almost four years of substantial renovation before the historic Brothers Lounge club at 11609 Detroit Ave. finally opened earlier this year. And what a gem it is. What business partners Rodger Riggs and Christian Riemenschneider have done with the building is nothing short of incredible.

The outside was restored to its original 1911 condition; the inside is state-of-the-art. Equal parts rock club, local pub and wine bar, Brother’s Lounge has a ballroom for entertaining, a stunning mahogany and cherry sheen and a restored tin ceiling. And if you think that’s amazing, you should see their menus. Full service, affordable and gourmet were the first three terms to come to mind… though the list of adjectives is far longer.

Cool Cleveland Managing Editor Peter Chakerian sat down with Brothers Lounge co-owner Riemenschneider and talked with him about the gargantuan restoration project that finally came to fruition in March:

Cool Cleveland: I love that you say you consider the musicians who will play Brothers with the very same appreciation as the customers themselves.

Christian Riemenschneider: That says it all, really. The customers are our guests and we want to make sure that everything we provide to them is one of the more pleasurable experiences they’ve had in a while. The club’s acoustics, the accommodations… it’s all sexier than a lot of musicians in the crowd might be used to. And we know that in doing what we did with Brothers Lounge, there will always be good entertainment.

I think that, because I’m a musician myself, my thought process offered a different way of looking at club ownership, as well. For a long time, I’ve been dragging my equipment in and out of clubs. Acoustics are felt on stage, so I’ve always felt I had a good “hands-on” handle of it… now I’m getting to make the jump to the other side.

Why the Brothers Lounge? Any special reason behind this specific site?

No special reason, really. We were looking for a place that would accommodate music and lo and behold, in 2004, I heard that Brothers was up for Sheriff’s Sale [editor’s note: this is the public sale “end result” of a foreclosure action to enforce a mortgage contract that had gone into default].

It was decrepit at the time. I remembered playing on that stage before and thought it would be a great thing to fall into. I thought to myself, I can either open up a place in a strip mall or have 58 years of nostalgia and tradition. We picked the latter. I love the neighborhood. But yeah, the building was a part of a sheriff’s auction. A sad commentary.

How long did the renovation process go on?

We started in May of 2005, with the idea that we’d open the following spring. And the next thing you know, two years worth of your life have gone into this (laughs). We had some good days and some bad days and there had been some hurdles along the way.

I understand you are one of three neighborhood businesses that received Storefront Renovation Awards to aid in the renovation and restoration of the building's 1911 façade. The cost of that alone must have been huge [over $70,000 according to figures]. How did that process go?

The process went great. We worked very closely with Cuddell Improvement (http://www.cudell.com) which is a non-profit community organization and that really helped to guide us through the – for lack of better words – bureaucratic process in bringing the building back to its original glory. The City of Cleveland rebated part of the cost for the façade improvement… and they were very supportive in helping us to bring the original architecture back.

It all went very smooth… except when we were pulling off the roof and the parapet came down, or the mortar joints were coming out when we were sandblasting! (laughs) Seriously, every little bit helped, especially because of all those unexpected costs.

There’s a lot of competition for the musical dollar in Cleveland now. How does Brothers plan to separate itself from the rest of the crowd?

In approaching the musician as a customer. We [made] Brothers acoustically appealing for both the musician and the listener, with different entertainment features for a multitude of people. It’s a wine bar, a restaurant, a corner bar… and it features gourmet food. We are [booking] quality local, regional and national performers. I’ve never run a bar or a music club before, so this will be interesting.

There’s no guarantee of success. There never is with small businesses, but that doesn't stop small business owners from doing what they are passionate about. We just knew we needed to do everything right up front. But even when the paint wasn’t dry yet, we knew we wanted to be the place where a musician knows they can see great music every day of the week. If we can accomplish that, we’re well on our way.

How did your competition take the news? I see your competition as the clubs in the neighborhood... The Phantasy? Hi-Fi Club? Winchester? Was the response, “That’s all we need… another music club!”

Actually, our competitors all seemed to be really excited when we started this project. Business brings business. Before we remodeled it, there was graffiti and garbage everywhere on this property. I would like to think [Brothers] will bring more business into the whole Detroit 117 area. Jim [Mileti] at the Winchester and Billy [Morris] at the Hi-Fi have been pumping us up; we’ll all help each other out.

OK, so Riemenschneider is not exactly a common last name. Take it from someone who knows! (laughs). So, are you related to the Baldwin-Wallace Riemenschneider Bach Institute, which is a world-renowned center? Certainly that would explain some of the gravity to be actively involved with a musical project like Brothers...?

You’re right. (smiles) You did your homework. My great uncle started the conservatory and would travel back and forth to Germany in the acquiring of the original manuscripts. It’s a great resource and asset to the B-W Conservatory students and I’m proud of the preservation efforts that have been made there. I’m always thrilled at the [B-W Bach] Festival’s success in April as well.

I think that if there’s a common thread between Brothers and The Bach Institute, it’s that after all these years – the Brothers project hit full swing during the 75th anniversary of the Bach Institute – it’s that music is always near and dear to me and still runs in the family, I guess. (laughs)

What can you tell us about your partner in the project, Rodger Riggs?

[Opening Brothers Lounge] has taken longer than anyone of us expected it to. But I couldn’t have done it on my own without him. We’ve been attached at the hip. He brought the construction expertise and the building creativity. Sometimes, we would close the doors and, in the middle of all the squalor and sawdust, we’d ask each other, “What what the heck are we doing?” (laughs) Other times we’d think, “This has been going on forever, let’s get this place open already!”

What I wanted people to know [a year ago] was that, "Yes, I assure you, we’re going to finish the club!" Now, it’s all about showcasing what effort we’ve put into this adaptive reuse of space and not just finding an empty storefront in a mall somewhere to open a club. There’s the cost of time, finances and sweat equity. Hopefully people can see what we’ve done in helping to keep this building alive.

Last question. Dream gigs for Brothers...? Who would you like to see on your main stage and why?

Well, I’m a Genesis fan, but that’s not very likely to happen. (laughs) I’d love to see Gregg Allman play the Hammond B-3 on that stage. Maybe Boz Scaggs…? And there are a lot of local bands I’d like to see here, too. I hope that mentioning them won’t doom me from getting them. (laughs)

And of course [local jazz great] Ernie Krivda wanted to play here. It’s a little known fact that Ernie met his wife here at Brothers. He came by while we were working on the place to see how things were coming and to reminisce. I’ve known him for a long time. His drummer is my old teacher.

Brothers Lounge is located at 11609 Detroit Ave. Call their HotLine at 226-2767 for tickets and concert info, or visit Brothers online at http://www.brotherslounge.com. And don't be surprised if you stop in one night and see the man himself partaking of the Band of Brothers jam sessions and open mike nights there.

Learn more about the B-W Bach Institute at http://www.bw.edu/academics/libraries/bach.

Interview and Photos by Cool Cleveland Managing Editor Peter Chakerian peterATcoolcleveland.com
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