Turf Club
A bar, restaurant, and live-music venue in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Turf Club is a bar, restaurant, and live-music venue on University Avenue in St. Paul, Minnesota. The venue occupies a building with roots as a dance hall in the 1940s and became an important part of the Twin Cities music circuit, particularly from the 1990s onward. Its development helped strengthen St. Paul's position as a performance center at a time when many local bands primarily played venues in Minneapolis. The club presents a mixture of local, national, and international touring acts. Its main room has a capacity of approximately 350 people, giving it a relatively intimate scale for emerging artists and established touring performers. The venue has hosted a broad range of music, while its basement contains the smaller Clown Lounge, a bar and performance space used particularly for jazz performances. Japanese indie-rock group Shonen Knife played its 1,000th show at the Turf Club, illustrating the venue's role in the touring ecosystem beyond the Twin Cities. The Turf Club was acquired in late 2013 by the owners of First Avenue, the Minneapolis music organization and venue operator associated with First Avenue and other regional performance spaces. Following the acquisition, the venue underwent a substantial remodel in 2014. Improvements included an upgraded sound system and the restoration of a mural depicting five racehorses. The mural had been concealed behind curtains for decades and became a visible part of the renovated interior, reconnecting the venue with elements of the building's earlier identity. The club is located on the north side of University Avenue near Snelling Avenue, directly across from the Snelling Avenue light-rail station on the Green Line. Its location gives it strong transit access and links it to one of the most visible commercial and cultural corridors in St. Paul. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the venue to close for more than a year during 2020 and 2021. The property also sustained fire and water damage during the civil unrest associated with the 2020 George Floyd protests, which required additional repair work. After the pandemic closure and restoration period, Turf Club reopened for concerts in July 2021. It remains an active live-music venue within the First Avenue group and the broader Twin Cities concert scene.
History
The Turf Club occupies a St. Paul building that originally operated as a dance hall in the 1940s. Although the available historical record does not establish a precise founding date for the present venue or identify its original founder, the property has developed across several eras of entertainment use. By the 1990s, Turf Club had become increasingly significant to the Twin Cities music community. Its rise coincided with a broader expansion of St. Paul's role in the regional live-music network. Many local bands had traditionally concentrated their performances in Minneapolis, but Turf Club provided a prominent St. Paul alternative and helped establish University Avenue as a meaningful location for music and nightlife. The venue also attracted touring performers from outside the region and became a stop for national and international acts. A notable event in its history was Japanese indie-rock band Shonen Knife performing its 1,000th show at the club. The venue's format combines a bar and restaurant with a principal concert room holding approximately 350 people. This capacity supports an intimate audience experience while remaining suitable for touring acts. A basement area known as the Clown Lounge functions as a smaller bar and performance space, with a particular association with jazz programming. Together, the two spaces allow Turf Club to serve different audiences and musical formats within the same property. In late 2013, the venue was sold to the owners of First Avenue. The transaction connected Turf Club with one of the best-known independent venue operators in the Twin Cities and placed it within the First Avenue group. A major renovation followed in 2014. The work included an upgraded sound system and the restoration of an interior mural showing five racehorses. The mural had been covered by curtains for decades, so its return was both a design feature and a visible recovery of the building's historical character. Turf Club's physical location has also been important to its identity. It stands on the north side of University Avenue near Snelling Avenue, across from the Snelling Avenue light-rail station on the Green Line. This gives the club direct public-transit access and situates it within a major St. Paul corridor. The venue faced severe operational disruption in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic caused it to close for more than a year, while fire and water damage sustained during the civil unrest surrounding the George Floyd protests created an additional need for repairs. The combined effects extended the interruption beyond a routine pandemic shutdown. Turf Club ultimately reopened for concerts in July 2021. Its reopening marked the restoration of an active performance venue and reaffirmed its place in the First Avenue network and the Twin Cities live-music scene.
- 2021
Concert operations resume
[1]Turf Club reopened for concerts in July 2021.
- 2020
Pandemic closure and property damage
[1]The club closed for more than a year during the COVID-19 pandemic and required repairs after fire and water damage during the 2020 civil unrest.
- 2014
Renovation restores historic mural
[1]A substantial remodel upgraded the sound system and brought back a five-racehorse mural that had been hidden for decades.
- 2013
Acquisition by First Avenue owners
[1]The owners of First Avenue purchased Turf Club in late 2013.
- 1990
Turf Club grows in importance to Twin Cities bands
[1]From the 1990s, the venue became increasingly popular with local bands and helped expand St. Paul's role in the regional music circuit.
- 1940
Building begins as a dance hall
[1]The property that later became Turf Club originally operated as a dance hall during the 1940s.
Products and positioning
An intimate, transit-accessible Twin Cities music venue combining a bar and restaurant with a main concert room and a smaller basement performance space.
Live music venue
Main concert room
The main Turf Club room is an intimate concert space with an approximate capacity of 350 people. It presents local artists alongside national and international touring acts and is the venue's principal platform for rock, indie, and other live-music programming.
Basement bar and performance space
Clown Lounge
The Clown Lounge is Turf Club's smaller basement bar and performance area. It provides a more compact setting than the main room and is used for jazz performances and other small-scale events.
Hospitality
Bar and restaurant
Alongside its concert operations, Turf Club functions as a bar and restaurant. These hospitality services support the venue's role as a neighborhood nightlife destination and complement its live-event programming.
Brand decisions
2021
Resume concerts after closure and repairsStrategyBackground
The venue had been closed for more than a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic and also needed repairs after fire and water damage sustained during the 2020 civil unrest.
Action taken
After restoration work, Turf Club reopened for concert events in July 2021.
Aftermath
The reopening restored the venue's role as an active St. Paul concert destination.
2014
Upgrade the venue and restore its interior characterStrategyBackground
After the change in ownership, the venue required improvements to its concert infrastructure and had a historically significant racehorse mural concealed behind curtains.
Action taken
Turf Club completed a major remodel, including a sound-system upgrade and the return of the five-horse mural to public view.
Aftermath
The renovation improved the room's technical capability while reinforcing the venue's distinctive historical identity.
2013
Join the First Avenue venue groupM&ABackground
Turf Club was sold to the owners of First Avenue in late 2013, connecting the St. Paul venue with an established Twin Cities music operator.
Action taken
The First Avenue owners acquired the venue and incorporated it into their regional live-music portfolio.
Aftermath
The acquisition was followed by a substantial renovation in 2014 and continued operation as an independent-scale venue within the First Avenue group.
Recent events
- 2021
Turf Club reopens for concerts[1]
Other
Following pandemic-related closure and repairs, Turf Club resumed concert operations in July 2021.
- 2020
Turf Club closes during the COVID-19 pandemic and sustains protest-related damage[1]
Other
The venue closed for more than a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic and also experienced fire and water damage during the civil unrest connected to the George Floyd protests, leading to an extended repair period.
- 2014
Turf Club completes major remodel[1]
Other
The venue received a substantial renovation that included an improved sound system and the restoration of a five-racehorse mural that had been hidden behind curtains for decades.
- 2013
First Avenue owners acquire Turf Club[1]
M&A
The owners of First Avenue purchased the St. Paul venue in late 2013, bringing Turf Club into the First Avenue venue group.
Sources1 sources
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