Tampa's two-story, paradise-themed Eden nighclub has three sections including the garden of Eden featuring massive amounts of flowers and vines, a mural by artist Matt Kress and a giant tree garnished with red apples. Credit: Seven Marketing + PR

Eden 912 N Franklin St., Tampa A staple in Tampa’s nightlife scene abruptly closed its doors in July and it’s still unsure why. Eden was known for its stacked entertainment lineups, stiff drinks and late-night hours. The nightclub abruptly closed on Thursday, June 13, according to social media posts from its employees—like former General Manager Niko Alvertos, who posted that “we all had the feeling something was going to happen, we just didn’t know when.” Eden’s Facebook and Instagram pages were also deleted, showing no trace of the once-popular nightclub and event space. It is also listed as “permanently closed” on Google. There was no official closing announcement issued by ownership, so it’s still unclear why the once-popular nightlife hotspot abruptly closed its doors. The two-story club was garden-themed, hence its name, and featured specialty cocktails inspired by the seven deadly sins, a ton of VIP booths, a late-night menu, themed parties and a steady rotation of DJs and other entertainers. The downtown Tampa bar and club made its debut in 2021, after $4.5 million dollar renovations rendered the former Franklin Manor space unrecognizable. Photo via Seven Marketing + PR Credit: Seven Marketing + PR

Extravagant new downtown Tampa nightclub Eden celebrates its grand opening on Friday, Aug. 6 with a performance featuring “Whole Lotta Money” rapper BIA.

The fancy new spot is in the old Franklin Manor location, at 912 N Franklin St., and any stink of the controversy that Manor left was wiped away with a $4.5 million renovation. Eden owners Asad Yusupov and Kevin Stowe, of the Phoenix Hospitality Group, also opened the Asian-fusion Haiku restaurant just a block away in January.

The two-story, paradise-themed club has three sections: Hades (animal skulls, spooky photographs with black leather VIP booths and gold cages), The Ark (12,000 hand-carved wood pieces with a DJ booth and VIP tables), and, of course, the garden of Eden (massive amounts of flowers and vines, a mural by artist Matt Kress and a giant tree garnished with red apples).

“We built Eden to represent choice,” Yusupov said in a release. “We built the entire concept around choice, whether you want to be in the serene, majestic outside with the flowers, or inside, with even more opportunities to explore.”

Throughout, scantily clad Eves of Eden are working hard pouring drinks and dancing on poles. And though the Eves are barely clothed, guests have to follow a strict dress code: no athletic gear, flip flops, jerseys or sunglasses. Leave your yoga pants on the couch.

A food truck run by Haiku is available until late night to soak up specialty cocktails named after the seven sins like the Gluttony (Ketel One, hibiscus and simple syrups, and lime). 

Tickets for the grand opening party are $50 bucks. The celebration starts at 8 p.m., with DJ Papadon playing with the “Sisterhood of Hip Hop” star.

For tickets, or information go to edentampa.com.

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This article appears in Jul 29 – Aug 4, 2021.

Freelance contributor Stephanie Powers started her media career as an Editorial Assistant long ago when the Tampa Bay Times was still called the St. Petersburg Times. After stints in Chicago and Los Angeles,...