Space 13 Year Anniversary
Danny Tenaglia at Space on September 2, 2000
Miami, FL – April 3, 2013 – Last month marked a historical 13 year anniversary for the infamous Club Space in Downtown Miami. Not many clubs in Miami stay open a couple years, let alone over a decade. World Red Eye has been there with owner Louis Puig since day one, and seen it evolve into the mega-club, after-hours destination it is today. Puig started out as a DJ, who still spins from time to time, and ventured into opening a few spots. It wasn’t until he opened Space in the year 2000 that it all blew up for him. He made a hot spot club out of a converted warehouse in a not-so-hot part of Downtown Miami at the time, and had big name DJs and celebrities inside from the beginning. Now, 13 years and one location change later, Space remains the best and only destination for nightlife of this caliber in Downtown Miami. From renowned headliner DJs to underground artists, Puig and his Space Co-Founder Emi Guerra continue to bring in amazing talent to the decks that keep the party-goers there well into the daylight hours. It’s truly one-of-a-kind as there’s nothing else like it in the city, if at all in the country. WRE chatted with Emi Guerra about this monumentous occasion, how the Space legacy started, and some of the best memories. Take a look in our timeline of the best photos from over the years as we start with year one up to now, with Space still delivering incredible parties every week.
Nick Carter & Louis Puig at Space on September 29, 2000
World Red Eye: What was Louis Puig’s original concept or motivation in opening Space 13 years ago? Did anyone think it would be what it is today?
Emi Guerra, Co-Founder of Space: When Space opened, it was at a very transitional period in Miami and South Beach. The scene was transitioning from ultra lounges to mega clubs. Level had opened in November, Crobar opened in December, and while they did play electronic music on their main nights, there wasn’t an “underground” venue at the time. Louis’ goal was to open a club that had a New York underground feel that could cater to both the South Beach clientele and the Miami locals who were tired of the increasing prices of a normal night out on the beach. We opened with the goal of putting music at the forefront, catered to the masses, yet keeping it cool enough to have the trend-setting VIPs from South Beach comfortable. Our campaign was “MUSIC MATTERS.” The location was perfect. If you ever visited Space during our first year, you remember what that neighborhood looked like. It was a HUGE move. Very few people believed it would work.
Seth Browarnik: I’ll never forget being at Shadow Lounge in the DJ booth the first time I heard of Louis Puig- he came up to me, said they were going to open a club in Downtown called Space, and I laughed in his face. Boy, was I wrong. I never would’ve imagined it to be where it is today.
Pete Tong, Louis Puig, & Alex Omes at Space on October 7, 2000
Sean “Diddy” Combs at Space on April 21, 2001
Emi Guerra at Space on May 4, 2001
WRE: How long have you and Luis been in nightclubs? How did you come into the picture with Space?
EG: Louis has been dj’ing and working in clubs since the late 70’s. He’s always been a mentor to me. I’ve been working with him since 1996 when I worked the door at Bar 609. Since then we’ve had an amazing relationship. Fast forward to September of ’99, I was working for Louis at 609 in Coconut Grove, and he asked me to join him to open a new venue in Downtown heading the marketing and promotions. I obviously loved the idea and gave it my all. A few months later – March 17th of 2000, we opened. I was 22 years old.
Paul van Dyke at Space on June 8, 2001
Louis Puig, Sharam, & Lance Bass at Space on September 22, 2001
Tiesto at Space on October 19, 2001
WRE: Where did the idea for the patio area come from? Seth said he and his friends were the first and only people who took to it in the beginning…
EG: The patio was always a part of Space since day one, however we didn’t use it during afterhours. We would play world beats and international music out there til around 5am or so, and then we’d close it. Miami people weren’t used to partying during the sunrise… At the time, the only successful after-hours experiences were dark indoor rooms that didn’t serve alcohol. Partying in daylight was a European thing. Eventually, one day, after we had a captive audience, we made the move and kept the patio open. A couple weeks later, and after a few themed events involving birds and other animals, things caught on and people started bringing sunglasses to the club. Ivano Bellini was our terrace resident at the time. One of my most vivid memories was seeing Ivano dj’ing and then noticing the sunlight warping and melting his records. And yes, Seth and a crew of our friends were definitely some of the first people to indulge in daylight dancing. By the way Seth, you still look the same.
Danny Tenaglia & Yoko Ono at Space on March 25, 2002
Danny Tenaglia & WMC Founder Bill Kelly at Space on March 26, 2002
Danny Tenaglia at Space on March 26, 2002
Tiesto & Buster Cox at Space on August 17, 2002
Tiesto at Space on August 17, 2002
Danny Tenaglia & Missy Elliot at Space on September 1, 2002
Trina, Eve, Missy Elliot, & Louis Puig at Space on September 1, 2002
Danny Tenaglia, Louis Puig, & Missy Elliot at Space on September 1, 2002
Eve & Trina at Space on September 1, 2002
Chris Judd at Space on September 21, 2002
Tall Paul at Space on October 11, 2002
Alex Omes, Tiesto, & Louis Puig at Louis Puig’s Birthday at Space on October 19, 2002
Louis Puig at His Birthday at Space on October 19, 2002
Seth Browarnik & Buster Cox at Louis Puig’s Birthday at Space on October 19, 2002
Tiesto & Louis Puig at Louis Puig’s Birthday at Space on October 19, 2002
WRE: Who are some of the biggest celebrities or DJs that have been in the club over the years?
EG: It’s been 13 years, there’s too many to list. In regards to djs, I would say 80 to 90 percent of the top 200 djs in the world have performed at the club at some point or another. I guess you can say we have a history for discovering talent.
Dean Winters, Oscar G, & DJ Boris at Space on March 18, 2003
Erick Morillo at Space on March 18, 2003
Michelle & Tommy Pooch & Dean Winters at Space on March 18, 2003
Carmel Ophir & Louis Puig at Space on March 20, 2003
Carmel Ophir, John Digweed, & Sasha at Space on March 20, 2003
Sasha, Roly, & Anthony Papa at Space on March 20, 2003
Sasha at Space on March 20, 2003
Sharam & Peter Song at Space on March 20, 2003
WRE: How did the patio become this big, huge sensation that it is today?
EG: The magic of the patio, or as I call it, The Terrace, has a lot to do with the culture of people that have embraced it and the vibe they bring to the party. There is such a diverse melting pot of people that come every week. You have people that are ending their nights, you have hospitality industry that’s just getting off work and looking for their version of a happy hour, we have VIPs that don’t want to wreck their houses, we have tourists and locals, and then we have our “breakfast club”- the faithful party goers that wake up at 5 or 6am and start their Sunday mornings on the terrace. Everyone is so different, but the one thing they all have in common is their love for music and dancing. It’s all about the music.
Cedric Gervais & Sean Drake at Space on May 10, 2003
Louis Puig & Oscar G at Space on May 10, 2003
Ralph Falcon & Cedric Gervais at Space on May 10, 2003
Steve Lawler at Space on May 10, 2003
OJ Simpson at Space on October 11, 2003
Russel Faibisch, Alex Omes, & Damian Pinto at Space on October 11, 2003
Lil Jon & Big Boi at Space on April 9, 2004
Louis Puig at Space on June 2, 2005
Danny Tenaglia & Deep Dish at Space on March 22, 2006
WRE: Why did you leave the old Space and move to the new one?
EG: Economics played a big roll. Also, the evolution of what Space was and where Louis saw he can take it.
Marco Carola at Space on May 27, 2011
Laidback Luke at Space on September 2, 2012
Pete Tong at Space on September 8, 2012
Roger Sanchez at Space on September 15, 2012
The Crystal Method at Back in Black at Space on October 27, 2012
Dirty South at Back in Black at Space on October 27, 2012
Emi Guerra, Louis Puig, & Alex Omes at Back in Black at Space on October 27, 2012
WRE: What have been some of your most memorable nights (or mornings) at Space?
EG: My top three are:
1. Danny Tenaglia’s Monday party during WMC of March of 2000. It was the first time we stayed open til 5:30pm in the afternoon. It was the pivotal event that helped put Space on the map.
2. Loco Dice’s recent 16-hour marathon. We closed at 6:45 in the afternoon. Words can’t describe the vibe and music. You had to be there.
3. David Guetta and Erick Morillo dj’ing the same night/morning on the terrace in 2007 or was it 2008? I forgot the exact year, but it was special having both of them play back to back.
Paul van Dyke at Back in Black at Space on October 27, 2012
Funkagenda at Back in Black at Space on October 27, 2012
LA Riots at Back in Black at Space on October 27, 2012
Louis Puig & Victor Calderon at Space on November 24, 2012
AN21 & Max Vangeli at Space on December 1, 2012
Norman Doray at Space on December 9, 2012
Boris at Space on December 22, 2012
Nicky Romero at Space on December 29, 2012
Michael Malone, Emi Guerra, & The Martinez Brothers at Space on January 5, 2013
The Martinez Brothers at Space on January 5, 2013
The Martinez Brothers & Emi Guerra at Space on January 5, 2013
Patrick M at Space on January 5, 2013
Emi Guerra & Jackie Richie at Emi’s Madhouse at Space on January 12, 2013
Jojo Lahoud & Emi Guerra at Emi’s Madhouse at Space on January 12, 2013
Ferry Corsten at Space on January 26, 2013
Reboot at Space on February 9, 2013
Louis Diaz, Emi Guerra, & Loco Dice at Space on February 16, 2013
WRE: Do people really stay until 1pm in the afternoon?
EG: On slow nights, yes. On busier weekends we’ve been known to stay open past 3pm. A few weeks back we closed at 6:45 in the afternoon with a couple hundred people still dancing. Thank you Dice!
Loco Dice at Space on February 16, 2013
Louis Puig at Space on March 2, 2013
WRE: We can’t wait for the next 13 years of Space, how do you imagine it?
EG: A lot can happen in 13 years. I can’t believe it’s been that long. What I would say is that even today, Space continues to exceed my expectations and it has turned out to be much bigger than we could have ever imagined. You might think I’m crazy, but I believe Space is more than a club. It helped cultivate a culture that redefined the nightclub experience in the US. As it is, there are so very few after-hour clubs in the world today. Even Ibiza closes their clubs by 8am. We have something very special here in Miami, and I’m grateful Space has lasted this long, and I don’t take it for granted. Only a handful of club brands around the globe have lasted 25 plus years and have become legends. It would be pretty sweet if Miami has one of its own.
