The Loft, a highly anticipated element of Price Center’s
ongoing expansion, is expected to open by Spring Quarter 2008. The nightclub is
designed to give the campus community a place to socialize and relax in a venue
that is unlike any other at UCSD, complete with a wine and tapas bar.

The Loft is being constructed beside Price Center’s new main
entrance, and will be located on the second floor. It will also have
floor-to-ceiling glass windows so passersby can see inside and patrons can look
out at the view of the Myers Loop — which will eventually be a park — and the
grand staircase of the new Price Center.

“The words we’re using to describe the Loft are ‘performance
crossroads and social lounge,’” University Events Office Director Martin
Wollesen said. “We want to create a space where we have everything from
rock-and-roll, a late-night DJ, jazz, spoken word to film festivals. It’s a way
to check out something different every night.”

Wollesen said that Loft patrons will first enter a vestibule
and then arrive at bar and restaurant seating. Customers can relax at the bar
but still turn to face the stage, a lounge area with a cabaret-style setup.
University Centers Director Paul Terzino said the Loft’s entrance will face the
new social space, located beside the Cross-Cultural Center.

“When you walk out of the Loft, you can see great artwork on
the wall,” he said. “It’s in the perfect location. It will be right above the
atrium and there will be an open feel with lighting from all the windows.”

Both Terzino and Wollesen stressed the importance of the
cosmopolitan and urban feel they hope the Loft will provide its patrons. They
said they had always planned for the nightclub to be a social oncampus space
that promoted interactivity.

“An idea we have is an iPod jukebox,” Wollesen said.
“Students can put in their own playlists or can enter their own music. We also
are thinking of taking photos of students who walk in and projecting it on a
screen for the day, or putting blank books on tables for people can come, contribute
and leave a legacy, in a way.”

Wollesen said he hopes to book programming four to six
nights a week. Although funding has not yet been reserved for recruiting
talent, ArtPower! has scheduled the Tentacle Sessions and FilmPower! has
scheduled the Teeny Tiny Film Series in the Loft. However, Wollesen said the
acts may have to find an alternate host if the Loft is not finished in time.

Registration Fee Advisory Committee Chair Garo Bournoutian
said the Loft is still in the process of gathering funding. Last year,
registration fees provided about $86,000 in one-time funds to cover costs for
lighting equipment in the new space. This year’s funding process has just
begun, however, and allocations will not be finalized until late spring.

The projected annual budget for the Loft’s programming is
$168,000 to $200,000, and funding support for both permanent staffing and
student staffing is about $150,000.

“[The budget] may seem like a lot, but when you compare four
to six nights a week of concerts and events for a year to what is spent on one
day of Sun God, it is really a great investment,” Wollesen said.

Once completed, the Loft will have three central aspects —
food, performances and the physical design — and will have space for
approximately 150 to 250 people to exhibit an intimate, social feel, Wollesen
said.

The nightclub’s restaurant follows the basic concept of a
wine and tapas bar, with a menu that will change every few nights and feature
food that will promote interactivity, such as wine, cheese or chocolate
tastings. Additionally, the restaurant will have larger food portions to
promote sharing with other people.

“Everything will be social and interactive so people can
experience food, beverages, performances, and be in a social setting,” Wollesen
said.

Wollesen said he wants to implement a “pay as you can”
system, instead encouraging donations for performances. There may be a
suggested contribution amount to support the artists, depending on how much
funding the Loft will receive.

“If you can contribute something, great, if not, that’s
okay,” he said. “Most people will recognize that if it is something good,
people can contribute when they can. I’d rather give people the opportunity to
attend, rather than not go because they think ‘oh, it’s too expensive, I don’t
want to do it. We don’t want price to be either a perceived or real barrier for
students who want to explore something new.”

The Loft’s physical design is currently being coordinated by
Bells and Whistles, a local husband-and-wife design team that has worked on a
few San Diego clubs, including the Starlite Lounge on India Street. Wollesen
said the pair will assist in making the space feel less institutionalized than
the rest of campus.

“The Loft won’t feel like other parts of the university, so
it has its own unique character,” Wollesen said. “When it opens, it will be the
only venue like it in the UTC area.”