Long-ago Clevelanders who knew the Globe Iron Works machine factory and warehouse in the mid-1800’s could not have imagined how the building, once again known as Globe Iron, would be used more than a hundred years later.
The warehouse on the corner of Elm Street and Main Avenue on the West Bank of the Flats was brought back to life earlier this year as a new music venue, the aptly named Globe Iron. Of course, those of us who knew it in the 1990s and 2000s remember it as the night clubs Metropolis and Trilogy. The building sat mostly empty after the last club to inhabit the space, Dream, closed in 2011.
Grading the Globe Iron
Sierra Crawford visited Globe Iron for the first time recently. She was there for a local music festival and some “girl time” with a friend.
“This is our first time here at this space, so walking in, I was in awe,” Crawford said. “I am a resident of the city of Cleveland and I love all things Cleveland. I love how people are starting to reimagine Cleveland and these buildings that have not been occupied for so long. ”
Fellow Clevelander Patty Szeczyk agreed. “I love that they’re reusing the buildings,” she said. “My husband and I are live music fanatics, we’re here just listening to the bands. The acoustics, the lighting is awesome. I think they’re gonna get a lot out of this place.”
Hayleigh Robertson came to Globe Iron to see a friend play.
She said she was thrilled with the design of the space and enjoyed the view from the courtyard outside.
“We can see elements of the city from here,” she said.
A metropolis of memories
Tim Nekuza used to help bring DJs from across the globe to the club in the 1990s. That’s when electronic dance music (EDM) was just beginning to take off.
“I feel like I still have bruises on my thighs from carrying large boxes from Cleveland Hopkins to Trilogy,” he said.
“The DJ booth back in the ‘90’s was not on stage, it was way up to the ceiling, customers probably didn’t even know where it was at first. Hauling records up to it was a real chore, but it did keep people away from making cheesy requests.”
-DJ Rob Black
Rob Sherwood and Mike Filly were among the most notable local DJs to earn their cred behind the decks at Metropolis. And visiting national and international EDM stars like Moby, the Prodigy and Carl Cox put Cleveland on the club scene map.
Going to ‘The Church’
Sunday nights at Metropolis were known as “The Church,” where electronic music like jungle, trance and house first began to take hold in the club scene. DJ Rob Black said he had to work his way up to finally get his shot at DJing back then.
You “first had to start in the side room and impress [the main DJs] enough to make it to the big room and became an original ‘Church’ DJ,” he said.
“I will never forget my first big room experience,” he continued. “I was doing an opening set for our guests N-Joi, and DJ Rob Sherwood [was] letting off fireworks from the DJ booth to mark my arrival.”
Back then, WMMS-sponsored nights, hosted by Jennifer Wylde, brought a more mainstream crowd to Trilogy during its run at the club. DJ Doug Burkhart said he took inspiration from the EDM played at “The Church” on Sundays.
“I was able to marry it with the core WMMS format, which was the dance rock of the day mixed with industrial and late ‘80’s alternative,” he said.
Metropolis was one of the first local clubs not catering exclusively to the LGBTQ+ community to regularly host drag shows.
Dick Russell, a former drag queen and promoter at Metropolis/Trilogy, remembered his first experience at the nightclub.
“The first night I was there – I had never known that there was such a thing as an underground nightclub scene,” Russell said. “I realized that I was surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of people that were cheering for me. It was interesting because it wasn’t a gay bar, it was a straight bar and they celebrated me. That was what made me fall in love with it.”
The transformation of Trilogy
James Carol runs Globe Iron for AEG, which also operates the Agora and Jacobs Pavilion. He helped oversee the renovations to the space and its redevelopment as a live music venue.
Carol talked about some of the renovations the former club has undergone since AEG’s takeover.
“We kept the stage that was there, but we built on top of it,” he said. “That thing was like a big, giant concrete brick, so it was a lot easier to just kind of extend from that point and build over it, as opposed to knocking that whole thing out.”
Cleveland club goers may remember the Metropolis/Trilogy stage and the state-of-the-art lighting system.
“We added a ton of new lights,” said Carol, including a full backlight rig for spotlighting that allows Globe Iron to host wrestling and other live events on its floor. “Not many other [music venues] have that set and built into their infrastructure,” Carol explained.
The second level of the Metropolis/Trilogy nightclub that ran along the side of the warehouse was completely removed. The VIP area was opened up and is now a lounge space. The bar area in the middle of the floor was removed (the catwalk above the bar had been removed years earlier). What was the front entrance to Metropolis and Trilogy is now a back entrance for bands. The front entrance of Globe Iron faces Main Avenue – for the building’s former club-goers, it’s easy to get confused and turned around.
A return to The Church?
Carol wants to revive some of the famed theme nights from the 1990s or early 2000s. To understand the vibe, he is looking for input from club-goers who went to or worked at Metropolis or Trilogy.
Black said that to get the right vibe, “one would need a proper warm-up set at the start of the night.”
He remembered that “usually a small speech would occur. Then the main part of the night would start by going straight into some hard-hitting tracks.”
Suggested Reading
Is it the right time for Globe Iron to bring back The Church? Its target GenX crowd is now reaching empty-nester and retirement age and could be looking for new entertainment options.
“‘May have to do the event during the day as we are all old,” Black said, laughing.
DJ Doug Burkhart suggested something new that “caters to an artsy crowd, the freaks and outcasts. They need a place away from the hipster crowd.”
Relive the sounds of the 90s with this playlist featuring music selected by DJs Rob Black and Doug Burkhart: