NIGHTLIFE
From the Stamford Advocate

Former Terrace Club Owner Opens Palms Nightclub

Peter Healy, Staff Writer

Terrace Club customers responded to the closing of the venerable Stamford nightclub last December as if it were a funeral.

But those loyal fans can stop mourning and dance once again at a reincarnation of the Terrace -- The Palms nightclub at 78 W. Park Place in downtown Stamford.

Nelson Solis, former co-owner of the Terrace Club at 1038 W. Main St., opened the 5,600-square-foot Palms on June 30; its first ballroom dance night is scheduled for tomorrow.

Solis said he couldn't stay idle after the Terrace Club's landlord raised the rent far above what he and former partner Chris Donahue could afford.

"After the Terrace Club closed, a lot of people were looking for a place to dance," Solis said while giving a visitor a tour of the freshly remodeled Palms.

He chose the site between Curley's Diner and the popular Thirsty Turtle bar because "this place is in the heart of the town."

The Palms space, which can hold 300 people, housed La Macarena restaurant until it closed in April.

Solis oversaw a massive renovation, which included a new ceiling, bar and oak floors. Four columns separate the 1,000-square-foot dance floor from the dining and bar areas. Dancing space can be increased by removing chairs and tables.

As Solis showed his visitor around, disco lights of various colors darted back and forth on the beige stucco walls.

Plastic palm trees line the sidewalk outside the club. In the warmer months, the club can add tables to a sidewalk and outdoor patio in the back. Tables can be placed in the street when the city shuts West Park Place for outdoor concerts at Columbus Park.

The Palms has an event schedule similar to the old Terrace Club. Tuesday features country-western music that starts at 6:30 p.m. and includes a buffet dinner. Wednesday, ballroom dance night, also features a buffet and a 6:30 starting time. Antonio Rosa is the ballroom DJ.

Retro disco starts at 5 p.m. Thursdays. Latin American music begins at 8 o'clock Friday and Saturday nights, with a salsa lesson by Eddie Perez each Saturday. Brazilian music and dancing starts at 8 p.m. Sundays. Friday afternoon happy hours with a buffet and DJ will start at 5 p.m.

Customers can rent the club for special events such as weddings and anniversary parties, Solis said. The restaurant currently serves appetizers and will start serving Latin American cuisine for lunch and dinner later this month, said Solis, a native of Guatemala.

But can the Palms re-create the mystique of the Terrace Club, which opened in 1939?

"Everyone would like to see something that lives up to camaraderie of the Terrace Club," said Anita Zobel, a longtime Terrace Club patron and retired high school teacher. "No place has come close yet."

"Nelson put a lot into it," said Frank Greco of Stamford, another ex-Terrace Club customer. "We are sorry to hear he didn't keep the Terrace Club name. "Stamford needs a ballroom and we will support him."