A dormant music venue in Leimert Park might be on the cusp of returning to the days when it was known as the “Apollo of the West”—if a buyer can come up with the $3.748 million to take over the building.
Maverick’s Flat opened in 1966 and the very first act to take the stage was the Temptations, as Curbed LA reports. The names only got bigger from there: Marvin Gaye, Parliament Funkadelic and Ike and Tina Turner were among the many performers who passed through the South LA hotspot in its heyday. It was known as a celebrity hangout back in the day, with Marlon Brando and Steve McQueen among the famous faces frequently seen socializing among the club’s hip, diverse clientele.
By the 1980s, tastes and neighborhoods were shifting around the venue, and eventually the pressure of running a club wore on the founding owner John Daniels (who in addition to running Maverick’s Flat spent much of the 1970s managing disco groups, producing records and starring in several of the era’s campy Blaxploitation films). He transitioned the business to just hosting occasional rental events.
The building received official Historic-Cultural Monument status in 2000 for its significant role in the city’s musical history and, now, after an extensive seven-year remodeling process, there might be hope for a breath of new life in this landmark cultural hub. The 8,330-square-foot building, first erected in 1933, has gone up for sale, seeking a nightlife entrepreneur of a new generation to buy and operate it. With the Crenshaw/LAX light rail line set to open a stop just a half-mile from the venue, it could be that Maverick’s Flat will become a music destination yet again.
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