TAMPA, FL — Once known as the “cigar capital of the world,” Ybor City is now lighting up with LEDs, and fixtures from Chauvet helped Alan Kahana, the owner of the Castle, a nightclub, replace conventional gear without also having to make major changes to the building’s electrical system. “Instead of having to add a full large electrical service to a historic building, we were able to add a small service by switching out conventional lighting to LEDs,” said John Landsman, of Directions Media, who designed the lighting for the nightclub.
The LED installation, with gear supplied by Bay Stage Lighting and Sam Ash, both based in Tampa, added 16 MiN Spots to highlight the ballroom and 29 LEDrain fixtures to create column-like beams down the perimeter walls.
“We played off the building and architectural elements,” said Landsman. Before its conversion to a nightclub in the 1990s, the 12,000 square-foot, 1930s-era structure served as a Knights of the Golden Eagle social hall, with offices, a saloon and a ballroom available for weddings, birthday parties and other events.
The Castle’s 3,800 square-foot Dungeon incorporates 18 Chauvet LED COLORpalette fixtures with a DMX-512 controller that changes the color of the room. “Everything changes color — when it’s blue, everything is blue, when red, everything is red,” Landsman said.
Kahana and Landsman may try to duplicate the Castle elsewhere. “We are currently looking in Las Vegas and other cities for other Castles,” Landsman said. “And we will use 100 percent Chauvet Lighting when we do.”
For more information, please visit www.chauvetlighting.com.
