Here’s a sneak peak at Ground Zero Blues Club, opening soon in downtown Biloxi
Crews have worked for months to transform the historic Kress Building into Ground Zero Blues Club Biloxi and the public is invited inside soon to experience the look and feel of the club and restaurant.
An opening night concert on Friday, Feb. 11, will bring renowned blues artist Lucious Spiller to the new venue’s stage. The grand opening with Bobby Rush follows on Feb. 18 and features Lightnin’ Malcolm & RL Boyce, along with Sharde Thomas & Rising Star Band.
Tickets for these and other shows are available on the Ground Zero website.
Academy Award Winning actor Morgan Freeman is a co-owner in Ground Zero and is expected to drop by his new Biloxi club and restaurant during the festivities.
“He will be here at some point,” said Lee Young, another owner of Ground Zero on Howard Avenue and the developer working to help revitalize that stretch of downtown Biloxi.
Freeman has been spotted in Biloxi while construction of the second Ground Zero has progressed, and Young said his time on the Coast fits in between his movie schedule.
A first look around
The public has had only a teaser of what is happening inside the building, since a blues mural covers the large front windows.
The Sun Herald got a sneak peak as crews carried in furniture, prepared to hang funky chandeliers and worked steadily toward getting the club ready for its debut.
“Wait until you see it lit up at night,” Young said, looking around at the totally open room. “Spectacular.”
A large stage is right inside the door, where the music is bound to draw people inside as they walk along Howard Avenue. Just beyond the stage is a dance floor, a couple of bars and seating at different levels where people can eat or find a spot to listen to the music.
“I can’t tell you the people who have contacted us from all over the U.S. wanting to play here,” he said.
Signs and memorabilia decorate the walls, reminiscent of the Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale.
“We would never be able to replicate Clarksdale. That is the the true epicenter of Blues,” Lee said.
“We’re the opposite end of the Blues Trail,” he said, and Biloxi has its own blues history.
“What we strove to accomplish is to meld what people love about Ground Zero in Clarksdale with the history and feel of Old Biloxi Blues,” he said.
It will be reminiscent of clubs on old Howard Avenue back in the days, he said, “When you had to know somebody to get in.”
Food with Biloxi blues
Yet Ground Zero is more than a club — it also will have lunch and dinner hours Wednesday through Saturday starting Feb. 16, Young said. People will be able to come in for lunch, learn about the blues from videos and displays and hear the music playing, he said. Sometimes they’ll even have live entertainment at lunch, he said.
The menu in Clarksdale plays heavily on ties to the area, with a Highway 61 burger and other favorites of the Delta.
Biloxi’s menu is still under wraps and is described as “Coastal eats with a Delta edge to it,” Young said, best enjoyed with specialty cocktails of the house.
A kids’ menu will be available, too.
“We want families in here,” Young said.
New downtown based on the old
Dale Partners Architects in Biloxi and designer Anne Gauthier of Baton Rouge have transformed what was last a rock and roll venue into a blues club, and the work won’t be over when Ground Zero opens.
A large mural will be added along the brick wall and stairway leading up to The Back Room at Ground Zero, another area that’s being readied for entertainment, parties and events.
Ground Zero is the first major venue at The District on Howard. The area, within walking distance of Rivage Resort & Casino and Hard Rock Casino, will transform historic buildings on the once-vibrant main business street into a place where diverse groups of people will come for entertainment, dining and to live.
“COVID set us back a year at least,” Young said, as they had to consider if live music would even be possible with COVID-19.
Young said he’s emotional and proud of the part he’s played in starting the revival of downtown.
“We hope it’s part of the mayor’s vision for the restoration,” he said. Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich has worked to get Howard Avenue back to a two-way street and paved in brick and to restore the historic Saenger Theatre around the block.
With Ground Zero nearly done, Young said, “We move on to the Barq Building after this.”
Gautier has agreed to stay on to design the Barq Building that is the anchor of the District, between the theater and Ground Zero and plans call for a mix of commercial on the lower level and residences up top.
The mustard siding is gone and interior restoration will begin in about a month, Young said.
This story was originally published February 7, 2022 at 5:50 AM.
