The history of Houston nightlife has its ebbs and flows. One minute, Washington Ave holds the crown as the premier party destination. Then it’s either the Richmond strip or Midtown or Third Ward, or how Almeda seemingly has five different venues going off at a time on a Sunday. For years, The Address had a strong claim to hosting Houston’s best Sunday day party on a weekly basis.
Now those days of burning hookah coals, celebrity pop ups, glistening lamb chops, tender steaks, drinks and packed-out sections are set to be gone.
On Friday, venue owners confirmed that the establishment located on 3333 Raleigh St, near the Holcombe and Old Spanish Trail exit from Highway 288, would be shutting down after nine years in business.
Nearly a decade in Houston nightlife is a near-record in the modern day of clubs and venues in the city, as several patrons recalled its opening, the DJs, the food and even its transition from a full-fledged club into a multi-purpose bar & grill to be even more welcoming.
“Public service announcement. The Address is closing down after a long, Hall of Fame run,” Jeremy Gore shared in a video uploaded to Instagram. “The reason why it’s closed is because contracts, lease agreements and stuff like that. It only made sense to shut it down, get that straight and move on.”
Gore added, “It ain’t because nobody got hurt or selling no drugs or nothing illegal.”
The final Sunday at The Address will be customer appreciation, according to Gore.
Almost immediately, various DJs who spun at The Address began sharing mock funeral flyers paying their respects. DJ Cee Watts, who held court on Friday nights, called the space her “favorite club in the city.”
“The opportunities I received , the plp [sic] I met , the lessons I learned will be carried with me for the rest of my career,” she wrote on Instagram. “Join me this Sunday as I say goodbye to the building that helped make me who I am for the last 6 years.”
The venue had its fair share of historic nights in Houston club lore, such as the fire marshal having to be called on its opening night because the venue was too crowded with people having fun. Or the numerous people who met their significant other in between the call-and-demand of BeatKing twerk anthems there. But its end signals a growing trend in the nightlife scene, one where older, more established venues prior to Houston’s mass influx of newcomers during the pandemic are starting to bid adieu or temporarily pause for potential revamps.
Murmursand social media posts had begun about another longtime Houston establishment, KAMP off Richmond and that it was ceasing operations after six years, but owners have yet to confirm to Chron about the reports. Another popular Sunday Funday venue, Bar 5015, recently had its noise permit restored and to honor the moment, launched a guerilla marketing campaign to draw longtime customers and patrons back.
Still, Sundays won’t be the same without The Address. Though few would advise to wear all black to its going away party because it is still summer in Houston after all.