Former jazz club venue reimagined
as speakeasy and social club

By Jake Spitzack | Staff Writer | September 2026

The intimate venue nestled in the lower level of the Hamm Building that once hosted world class jazz musicians is now offering an eclectic mix of food and entertainment. You’ll find everything from dueling piano performances and conservative burlesque shows to book clubs and spoken word performances. Cribbage boards, chessboards and other games are also available.

Meritage Underground is owned by Desta and Russell Klein, who have operated Meritage restaurant on the street level of the Hamm Building, 408 St. Peter St., for nearly 20 years. Until 2024, the space was home to a succession of jazz clubs: the Artist’s Quarters, Vieux Carre and KJ’s Hideaway. Despite having witnessed the three businesses fail in the basement space, they are eager to bring their new concept to life and continue refining it. It officially opened in August following minor cosmetic work and programming will ramp up in September.

The dimly-lit 90-seat space features an art deco-style horseshoe bar and handpicked antique furniture from area homes. The menu includes European street food bites like shucked oysters, charcuterie and cheese, and sweet and savory crepes.

The stage is no longer the centerpiece of the storied venue, although it will still be used. Programming at the Underground varies based on the day of the week. Wednesdays are for professional wine tastings, happy hour and piano karaoke, Thursdays are reserved for a 50-member social club and programming such as DJ’s, live podcasts and staged debates, and on Fridays the venue operates as The Pearl Speakeasy, welcoming one and all. Saturdays are slated for private events, and Sundays for artist residencies.

“The only thing you can do is breathe life into a space and try to give it your perspective, and then it’s the people in the room who either carry it or they don’t,” said Desta. “I wanted to bring back this concept of ‘salon.’ In the 1910s and 1920s, cities like Vienna and Paris were great intellectual hubs…. These places both made famous the concept of salon culture. It’s people sitting around in a place, reading, writing and having conversations. It’s going to a place with the intention of interacting with people.”

The 50-member social club is perhaps the biggest driving force behind the new venue. Desta hopes it will restore a sense of community and intellectual engagement that some people may have lost since the COVID-19 pandemic – and amidst an increasingly impersonal digital world. Membership is $500 per month, with $300 directed toward The Underground’s programming and space upgrades and $200 on a personal house account for purchases at Meritage businesses. If membership is expanded in the future, it will only be offered to people personally invited by existing members.

Desta acknowledged the high price but sees membership as a way for people to put a personal stake in downtown’s revitalization.

“You’re not just stuck in your space watching a giant screen or doom-scrolling, which is kind of the American conundrum,” she said. “We talk about this kind of societal loneliness epidemic, and part of it is that I don’t think we’ve really come out of COVID. People were so cloistered and they got really comfortable with just getting stuff delivered to their door and never having to leave, but that creates self-perpetuating loneliness and isolation…. I really feel it’s important to give [people] these ‘third’ spaces, these places that are not work, they’re not home, but the space between. The space that you go to just relax, cut it loose, socialize and have a drink, even if it’s not alcohol.”

Garnering support for such an effort isn’t new for the Kleins. During the pandemic in 2020, Meritage closed for several months while still paying employees, and they were able to raise a total of $50,000 in donations from 50 people to create a private dining room.

The decision to open the Underground also comes during a year when many business owners may be tempted to shrink rather than expand. Desta said the first few months of 2026 drew Meritage’s lowest sales on record, and that they paid staff who stayed home during Operation Metro Surge. However, with a multi-year street project in front of the Hamm Building now complete and street traffic rebounding, she believes downtown’s revitalization is beginning to take form.

“I can see the progress they’re making and how some of the long-term planning that’s been kind of percolating underneath is now starting to finally show,” said Desta. “Six months ago, we were nervous but now I’ve been starting to feel more optimistic.”
The Kleins have a deep appreciation for their restaurant patrons and are committed to keeping Meritage downtown. They opened it in 2007 after getting married in the space itself.

Meritage Underground hours are 5-9 p.m., Wednesday; 4-9 p.m., Thursday; 4-10:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday; and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-9 p.m., Sunday. For more information, call 651-222-5670 or visit meritage-stpaul.com/underground.