How The Ice House comedy club in Pasadena reopened with a Lakers connection

Table Of Content

• Pasadena’s Tournament House opening for…
• LA Times Today: Behind the scenes at the Pasadena Showcase House of Design
• Post Malone’s all-star Stagecoach set includes Brad Paisley, Dwight Yoakam
• Pasadena’s Legendary Ice House Comedy Club Reopening in February With New Amenities
• Entertainment
• Pasadena’s Tournament House opening for tours. Here’s how to get a spot

“But I don’t know anything about a club, I’ve never managed a club,” she told Buss over the phone when he first offered her the job. His father’s notoriously outside-the-box methods of running a team made him a genius and impossible to predict. Mentor Ave., hasn’t changed, but walking through its new glass doors is like entering a place that’s transformed from a dusty piece of coal into a frosty diamond.

Pasadena’s Tournament House opening for…

The Ice House Pasadena is widely recognized as one of the top comedy clubs in the country. It offers an intimate and cozy setting where audiences can enjoy top-notch comedy performances and indulge in laughter-filled evenings. The Ice House Pasadena is a legendary comedy club that has been serving up laughter for over six decades. Established in 1960 by the dynamic duo of Willard Chilcott and Bob Stane, The Ice House began as a folk music venue but quickly evolved into a hotbed of comedic talent. Today, it stands as a historic gem, having launched the careers of some of the biggest names in the industry.

LA Times Today: Behind the scenes at the Pasadena Showcase House of Design

It’s a sound new owner Johnny Buss — the oldest son of the late Lakers owner Jerry Buss — has been waiting to hear since he bought the place in 2019. As you step through its doors, you’re instantly transported back in time, enveloped in an atmosphere that embraces the bygone era. The club’s rich history is palpable, as if the laughter and applause of decades past still linger in the air. With its warm and inviting ambiance, The Ice House provides the perfect backdrop for a night of hilarity and entertainment. Though Buss and Toler believe that the entertainment business is all about the fans, it’s also the club’s duty to take care of the comics.

Post Malone’s all-star Stagecoach set includes Brad Paisley, Dwight Yoakam

From the legendary Bob Newhart to the incomparable Robin Williams, this iconic venue has witnessed the magic of comedy unfold time and time again. For Margaret Cho, the club’s first big headliner to perform Thursday night, the details in a comedy club make the comic’s experience and the fan experience feel like they're being taken seriously. For Margaret Cho, the club’s first big headliner to perform Thursday night, the details in a comedy club make the comic’s experience and the fan experience feel like they’re being taken seriously. From 1960 to 1978, The Ice House, originally managed by Keith Pearce, aka, O'Brien, was a folk music club with acts coming from around the country to perform. In 1978, the original owners were bought out by a trio of investors led by Bob Fisher who changed the format of the club to stand-up comedy. Designers Frank Slesinski and Serena Brosio collaborated on the charming living room in the Gatehouse.

Pasadena’s Legendary Ice House Comedy Club Reopening in February With New Amenities

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Holding himself to a higher standard because of his father is nothing new to Buss, who grew up in the midst of one of the world’s greatest sports dynasties. His father's notoriously outside-the-box methods of running a team made him a genius and impossible to predict. A regular at the Comedy Store, the Improv and the Laugh Factory, Johnny said he and his dad always talked about opening their own club together before Jerry’s death in 2013 at 80. Mentor Ave., hasn't changed, but walking through its new glass doors is like entering a place that’s transformed from a dusty piece of coal into a frosty diamond. Though it’s always served its purpose as a training ground, the Ice House is also going to be a place where stars can mingle while they watch famous funny people perform. That’s where the club’s secret crown jewel, the newly built VIP lounge, comes into play.

Pasadena’s iconic Ice House set to reopen

She explained that it helps her find relatability and emotional connection with the audience in the room. “Taking something that’s traumatic, talking about it and adding humor to it removes some of the power,” she said. “That’s why they tell you to talk about your feelings, but a lot of people can’t, especially if they’re so locked in their head and they have so many walls up because they don’t want to lose their (mind). Throughout her life, Miller has witnessed and felt the therapeutic abilities of humor. From working part time with an addiction recovery program to teaching standup comedy for 14 years — including classes with veterans and middle school students — she has found everyone has a story and sharing it can open new pathways for healing.

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“We might actually start doing some afternoon things there,” Buss said. “I quickly found out the club was for sale, so I told him I would pay him 50 percent more than his offer if it wasn’t too late,” he said, referring to Fisher. “I think we’re going to be serving some very, very good food coming up. “I truly remodeled this one to have the young comics in there where they can really hone their craft,” said Johnny. The VIP room, which can also view the main showroom, can hold up to 20 people. Since the pandemic hit and the club could not operate due to restrictions, Johnny decided to have it renovated.

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The event draws more than 25,000 guests each year and offers several dining spaces, including Roe Japanese Fusion, the Tudor Rose Bistro, and Wattle & Daub Tavern. The Shops at the Showcase offer an array of merchants, from handmade jewelry to artisanal chocolates, and are also home to the Shops’s Wine & Cheese Bar. Since the club originally opened as a live music venue in 1960, Buss also plans on bringing live music back, too, with weekly jazz, reggae, pop and country nights starting in the next few months.

She described her experiences in Kandahar and Camp Leatherneck in the Helmand province as eye-opening. Buss said he expects tickets for the first performances and events at the new Ice House to drop on their website by Feb. 1. Typically, tickets go on sale a month before the show’s date, but in the case of their grand reopening, Buss expects they will have no trouble selling out. People are excited to come and performers are itching to get on the stage, Buss said.

Buss said he hopes to use this mecca of stand-up comedy to help contribute to charity. Hundreds of charities have already submitted requests to hold events at the venue. How those events will develop, Buss said, will depend on what programs become the most successful at the new Ice House. The long, three-year delay between the purchase and the grand re-opening was largely caused by the immense impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. With the emergency now over, he finished the renovations, hired staff and lined up a top-flight roster of comics.

And my dad and I used to sit around and say, what we need to do is buy a variety club and have comics and magicians and maybe a singer, come out and just really have a really great evening. And we used to talk about that literally for the last 40 years,” he recounted. One of the oldest comedy clubs in the United States, Ice House Comedy Club closed in 2019 after Los Angeles Lakers co-owner Johnny Buss, son of Dr. Jerry Buss bought it for an undisclosed amount from longtime owner Bob Fisher.

But now’s your chance to check out the historic spot long before the New Year’s hustle and bustle. Designer Stephanie Hatten updated the Gatehouse Kitchen, turning it into an airy English-country-inspired space. An eye-catching natural stone by Walker Zanger was selected for the counters and backsplash, and the space was outfitted with the latest Monogram appliances.

Maria Videla-Juniel, who designed the primary bathroom of the main house, also devised a welcoming entry to the Gate House. A Thibault wall covering graces the entry, and a Fibreworks runner leads guests up the stairs. Designer Mark Hermogeno paid tribute to Silver Queen Susanna Bransford Emery-Holmes in the kitchen, butler’s pantry, family room, powder room, and mudroom. “We had thought, What if she actually came back to life and asked us to remodel the space? They brought in plenty of glitz and glamour befitting the Silver Queen.

Stage 1, the main showroom, can accommodate up to 165 people while the second showroom can accommodate up to 100 people. Believing that the sale of the club was the “perfect opportunity” to fulfill his father’s dream, Johnny offered to pay 50% more than whatever the other buyer offered, ensuring the sale went through. “First of all, we’re shooting for a grand opening, a public grand opening of February 9th. The reason for that is we want to make sure that everything is finished. We should actually be finished with the building the first week in January.

“We wanted to concentrate on polished nickels and polished chromes to get that silver feel back in,” he says of the fixtures, hardware, and lighting by Kohler and Kallista. Hermogeno and designer Lynette Chin brought in a mix of vintage and new furnishings in the family room, incorporating performance fabrics for durability. “[We made] sure that it was a really usable room, that it didn’t just look nice,” Hermogeno says. For a bedroom off the nursery, Carmine Sabatella wanted to create a jewel-toned escape. “I thought, if somebody’s taking care of the baby, they have a space where they can come and feel like it’s a retreat,” Sabatella says.