Roof caves on Main Street club
The roof of a Main Street nightclub collapsed sometime early Sunday under the weight of a massive amount of collected rainwater, a Baton Rouge Fire Department spokesman said.
Club Theory at 602 Main St., Baton Rouge, which was raided by authorities and closed down in July, was not occupied at the time of the accident.
Firefighters were called at 9:27 a.m. Sunday about damage to the club, spokesman Robert Combs said. When firefighters arrived, they found the club heavily damaged with debris scattered onto the road.
Combs said investigators believe the drain on the roof was clogged, and after so much rainwater built up on the roof, it collapsed under the weight.
At about 11 a.m. Sunday, glass, bricks and pieces of wood covered the sidewalk in front of the club, which is near the intersection of Main and Sixth Streets. Shards of glass could be found across the street.
Only about a third of the club’s roof caved in, but water was found inside the back of the building.
600 Main, a nightclub next door to Club Theory on Main Street, was not damaged, said Kelly LeDuff, 600 Main’s owner.
LeDuff said the roof on Club Theory was fine when he left his club around 3 a.m. Sunday.
Larry Sciacchetano, the owner of the buildings that house the two clubs, said he was called shortly after 10 a.m. Sunday about the roof collapse.
“It’s a relatively new roof,” Sciacchetano said, noting that it’s about 2 years old.
Sciacchetano said he has not had any major infrastructure issues before with the Club Theory and 600 Main buildings.
“If water gathers on the roof, it’s not the roofer’s fault,” he said.
Sciacchetano said it’s too early to determine what the fate of the club will be.
“I have no clue,” he said.
Club Theory had its parish liquor license suspended three days after state and local authorities raided the club July 20 and arrested 29 people, 23 of whom were underage, East Baton Rouge Office of Alcoholic Beverage Control Executive Director Chris Cranford has said.
Those arrested were booked on counts ranging from possession of marijuana to possession of a firearm in an alcohol establishment, police have said.
Cranford has said his office had been receiving complaints about the club for months, ranging from a disorderly place to shots fired.
The club’s state liquor license has been revoked, state Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control records show.
Any alcohol-serving venue in East Baton Rouge Parish must have a parish license and state license to operate, ABC board chairman Kris Perret has said.
The Secretary of State’s records show that Theory Entertainment LLC, the company that runs Club Theory, is operated by Todd Tyson and Jazz Brown, both of Baton Rouge.
Neither Tyson nor Brown could be reached for comment Sunday.