Work started last week to bring laughs and a new entertainment venue to Capitol Hill’s Broadway. As the lease was signed and building access granted, construction began on Capitol Hill Comedy/Bar. Comedy is a dark undertaking.

“Sunlight is the enemy of stand-up comedy,” owner Dane Hesseldahl told CHS during a visit to check out the work in progress.

CHS reported here in February on the plans in the old Highline space above Broadway just north of E John for Capitol Hill Comedy/Bar, part of a long-running stand-up comedy presence at Capitol Hill’s now-shuttered Jai Thai.

As CHS visited last week, a team was working on the kitchen and prepping the concrete floors to be ground down and sealed to create an industrial vibe. Once complete, tables, and chairs will be brought in, aiming for a dark and intimate, speakeasy feel in the dramatically dark space.

Hesseldahl is hoping to create a small venue that feels like performers have made the big time.

“We want it to feel like a show, even if we’re not getting big headliners,” Hesseldahl said.

Capitol Hill Comedy/Bar is being built out by an entertainment construction company brought in to handle the sound and lighting, as well as build the stage. There will also be an office and a green room “allowing comics to prepare for their moment in the spotlight.”

Performers can also expect high grade recording, with a DJ booth monitoring audio and video, and even capturing audience laughter and pumping it through monitors on stage.

The old Highline bar made of bent railroad rails will be preserved, but the stone walls in the room have been covered with a fresh coat of black paint. Acoustic paneling will be added to improve sound quality, and measures will be taken to address lighting issues caused by the setting sun.

The new venue will add a new dedicated space for comics on Capitol Hill with hopes of the scene taking off along with nightlife crowds building back up in the wake of COVID. Club Comedy, established in 2022, is also part of the scene that includes multiple stand-up and open mic nights across the neighborhood.

The Capitol Hill Comedy/Bar investment also will create a compact entertainment complex just north of Capitol Hill Station. The new comedy club’s downstairs neighbors will be the axe-tossing bar Blade and Timber which opened in 2019 after the building’s $6.35 million acquisition and overhaul.

The old Highline almost got snapped up last year for another entertainment venture. CHS reported here on the plans for a Broadway piano bar in the space that came to a quick crescendo and went pianissimo.

The Highline itself shuttered during the pandemic when one of the bar’s owners announced he was taking over the Georgetown Liquor Company. The Highline opened in May of 2010, filling the space left empty by the exit of the notorious Miami-beach themed Club Lagoon and its rooftop Lamborghini.

There may be Lamborghini jokes in the future. There will certainly be a few barb’s at Capitol Hill and its neighborhood Ferrari dealership. The name Capitol Hill Comedy/Bar itself is a Hill-based quip. Queer/Bar turned five in Pike/Pine in October.

With plans to open in May, Capitol Hill Comedy/Bar has hopes of packing in crowds of up to 200 people some nights. Some nights, the crowds will assuredly be much smaller.

Hesseldahl says there is more than enough room for a large crowd to enjoy a comedy show or intimate enough for folks to enjoy a low-key drink. The balcony overlooking Broadway will also be reopened to those wanting a drink with a view. Classic cocktails “with a twist” will be featured along with beer, cider, wine and mocktails made with Pathfinder non-alcoholic spirits.

While Capitol Hill Comedy/Bar is still a work in progress, Hesseldahl is excited about what is to come and getting to the real punchline — opening night. Back in the days of Jai Thai, the open mic scene was notable in the scene, with some pro comics getting their start on that stage.

“We had these legendary Tuesdays and Fridays. The community loved them. Everybody loves to show up because it’s a spectacle,” Hesseldahl said. He hopes to bring back those opportunities for fresh voices, new acts, and folks wanting to take a chance.

“We try to curate shows that are diverse, and not only diverse culturally, but also diverse across a range of experience,” Hesseldahl said. “We’ll bring on some people for their first booked show, or somebody who traveled down from Vancouver, and we want to give everyone those opportunities.”

The opening show on May 6th will feature local comic Sam Miller who once performed at Jai Thai’s open mic.

Capitol Hill Comedy/Bar is set to open at 210 Broadway E in May. Keep track of progress with @comedybarseattle.

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