22 Aug 27th - Sept 2nd, 2026 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | ‘A real dream team of nightlife’ Roosevelt started becoming a reality after Phoenix hip-hop promoter Michael Horowitz of Universatile Music brought Turner to the former FilmBar space to check out the property in 2024. “He thought it was a cool building and thought we could do something cool with it,” Turner says. There was a wrinkle, though: Sterling, the chef and owner behind Phoenix’s Ocotillo Restaurant, already had a lease on the property. Turner and Kushnir, longtime partners in Relentless Beats, then approached Sterling to collaborate on a nightspot at the property. The idea took off from there. Sterling brought his restaurant experience to the project. Lieberman, an internationally known lighting designer who has worked on nightclubs and music festivals across the U.S., oversaw Roosevelt’s lighting and production with Turner and his team. “It’s a real dream team of nightlife,” Turner says. Hooker also joined the ownership group, bringing years of experience in Arizona’s house music scene and helping shape Roosevelt’s musical programming. Roosevelt marks Turner’s first attempt at opening a downtown Phoenix night- spot since Track Club in 2019. The short- lived Roosevelt Row nightspot, which only operated for less than a month, was a collaboration between Turner and local developer Chuckie Duff. Turner stresses that Roosevelt isn’t meant to be Track Club 2.0, though. “There’s not any connection,” he says. “It’s a different business and something completely new.” Instead, Turner says the goal with Roosevelt has been to start relatively small and go from there. He calls Roosevelt a “small entry-point room,” but says he wasn’t interested in cutting corners on its sound, lighting or acoustics. “The first thing was to build it with quality and intention,” Turner says. “And then we can figure out what it’s supposed to be like.” How Roosevelt pays tribute to Phoenix’s FilmBar Longtime patrons of FilmBar might spot a few familiar sights at Roosevelt. The marquee and distinctive flagstone from the now-defunct independent cinema and nightspot that occupied the property for more than a decade until closing in 2022 are still part of the exterior. Inside, though, is a completely different story. Roosevelt’s owners gutted the interior of the property, opening up the main room to create more space for a bar, dance floor, stage and seating areas. It’s now trans- formed into a space that former FilmBar regulars would barely recognize. Roosevelt’s owners included a few nods to the spot’s former life as FilmBar, though. A patio area alongside the building includes a series of glowing lightboxes resembling movie poster displays along the walls, which Hooker says will showcase a rotating lineup of work by local artists. Then there are the movies that the spot will screen on the regular. Roosevelt features a projector and screen in its main room, which will be the site of film events. Hooker says they’re teaming up with Phoenix pop-up film series Cinehaze for monthly screenings of cult classics beginning in September. Turner says the team is also kicking around ideas for movie-night popcorn, snacks and other food. Keeping film in the picture was impor- tant to the property’s landlord, Turner says. “It was important to her that we did something to incorporate film,” he says. “So we’re doing our best by that.” When did Roosevelt open in downtown Phoenix? Roosevelt opened to the public at 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23, with the launch of its weekly Open House Sundays. The party featured happy hour prices and, as Hooker puts it, “house music from the off.” Before that, Roosevelt was open for several days to guests who RSVPed in advance through the bar’s Instagram. Roosevelt’s official grand opening is scheduled for September. Turner says Roosevelt’s programming will continue evolving over the coming months as the owners decide what works. The nightspot could eventually get bigger, too. Turner says the team plans to develop the parking lot next door into an outdoor area, potentially by spring 2028. Turner says what customers see at Roosevelt starting this weekend will be a snapshot of what the place will become over the next six months. “We’re going to look to build the best business that we can through Roosevelt for the neighborhood,” he says. Roosevelt 815 N. Second St. Hours: 4 p.m. to midnight, Tuesday through Sunday; 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., Friday and Saturday. Downtown Debut from p 20 DJ CeCe performs in the DJ booth at Roosevelt, a new downtown Phoenix bar, restaurant and nightclub that opened on Aug. 23. (Benjamin Leatherman)
