Self-storage owner and developer Hugh W. Horne is backing a new music venue called The Lodge Room that’s opening next month in a building he owns at 104 N. Ave. 56 in Los Angeles. The entertainment setting will offer 500 seats in 8,000 square feet of space on the second floor of the Highland Park Masonic Temple, also known as the Mason Building or The Highlands. The three-story building overlooking North Figueroa Street was recently renovated but still maintains some of its historic features including Masonic and Egyptian symbols, according to the source.

Horne appeared before the land-use committee for the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council last year to discuss his plans for the 1920s building in Italian Renaissance Revival style. He indicated he wanted to upgrade the safety system and add an elevator. “We have no intention of disrupting it,” Horne said at the time of the structure’s historic character. “We would really love for it to be used on a more regular basis.”

The music venue also includes a full-service bar and restaurant, Checker Hall, offering New American cuisine, the source reported. Sid The Cat, a partnership between Brandon Gonzalez and Kyle Wilkerson, will book established and new musical acts. Slated for performances in the coming months are local female vocal artist Bedouine, group Black Marble and solo musical project The Album Leaf.

As CEO and president of Horne Developments Inc. and Horne RPC Storage I L.P., Horne has a long history within the self-storage industry. He served as CEO and president of Storageworld LP and Storage Spot Inc. from 1998 through 2009. He also held several positions with Public Storage Inc., a self-storage real estate investment trust, from 1972 to 1997. While president of the Public Storage development group, Horne oversaw the construction of 750 self-storage properties totaling 45 million square feet and the acquisition of 450 existing storage facilities totaling 27 million square feet. While with the REIT, he also served as corporate secretary and vice president of Public Storage Management Inc., its property-management subsidiary.

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