Type Music venue Capacity Estimated 1000 | Seating type Standing Room Only Opened 1985 | |
Location Lancaster, Pennsylvania Owner Nick Skiadas
Holly Skiadas Genre(s) Punk rock
Hardcore punk
Jazz
Blues Address 223 N Water St, Lancaster, PA 17603, USA Hours Closing soon · 7PM–2AMFriday7PM–2AMSaturday7PM–2AMSundayClosedMonday7PM–2AMTuesday7PM–2AMWednesday7PM–2AMThursday7PM–2AMSuggest an edit Similar American Music Theatre, Electric Factory, Starland Ballroom, Theatre of Living Arts, Fulton Opera House Profiles | ||
The chameleon club documentary film
The Chameleon Club is a music venue located in the historic downtown area of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Contents
History
Founded by Rich Ruoff and Alexandra Brown in 1985, the Chameleon Club was originally located in the back room of a prominent fine dining restaurant called Tom Paine's (after the historical figure Thomas Paine). At its conception, the small approximately 100 person capacity room offered performances of live, original music in Lancaster City.
In approximately 1991, about five years after its opening, the club was relocated to the 200 block of Prince Street with an entrance on Water Street.
Circa 1995, the venue was signed on to do a live television show entitled "Live at the Chameleon Club" which aired on PRISM Network, a now defunct Philadelphia area cable network.
In 2002, following a questionable police raid, Rich Ruoff sold the Chameleon Club. This was the first time the club was sold to a non-founding entity. In less than a year it was again sold to the current owners, Nick and Holly Skiadas.
In 2008, a major renovation took place in which the adjacent building was acquired and integrated into the existing facility. During that time, the stage lighting was overhauled to include low heat/power LED lighting, and the stage was enlarged to provide more area for touring bands.
Today, the schedule is filled with bands of a popular music or hardcore/metal genre.
A feature-length documentary film is currently being made about the venue