What’s next for this home to Tri-Cities restaurants and clubs for 40+ years?
A longtime Tri-City building that’s housed many restaurants and clubs over four decades is about to be torn down.
The building near the Clearwater Avenue grain elevator most recently was the home of the Rumor Lounge nightclub.
“It is not in any kind of condition to warrant a remodel,” said a spokeswoman for LAIC Inc. and Lee Adams who has owned that site and the The Highlands office complex for about 30 years.
The complex at 6515 W. Clearwater Ave. was built in 1979 on six acres and is currently assessed at $4.2 million, according to Benton County Assessor’s documents.
The company spokeswoman said that the building wasn’t designed to accommodate much — the interior design is difficult to work with, and the lack of windows was a particular sticking point.
The building originally opened as Carlos Willy’s, and past Tri-City Herald stories show that it also was home to the Hong Kong Restaurant in the early 1990s.
In 1995, Sharon and Tom Schoffstall opened the T.S. Cattle Co. Steak House in the same spot. The steak house closed in 2007.
The short-lived Rumor Lounge that opened 2016 quickly amassed a following. The bar was even voted the People’s Choice Awards second favorite lounge in Tri-Cities in 2017. However, it closed later that year and the building has sat vacant since.
The LAIC spokeswoman told the Herald the building is past its lifespan. The company is working with an architect but a timeline for demolition and plans for future development are not finalized.
However, the company is giving the entire complex of offices and storefronts a $1.2 million-plus interior and exterior makeover for a more modern look.
About 15 suites will be gutted on the inside to convert it into a more usable 10,785-square-foot space for the LAIC team, as well as the separately family-run Lee Enterprises , which Adams owns with his brother Scott Adams.
The Adams brothers operate the business handed down from their father and own the franchise rights to the McDonald’s restaurants in Tri-Cities.
The complex is getting new siding, paint, roof, overhangs and windows.
Current tenants of the strip mall include Murley’s Floor Covering and Clearwater Family Eye Care.