Vanquish, other half of dreaded Gidewon club, opened on Saturday

• http://clatl.com/atlanta/ImageArchives?by=1223504
• The Tilt-a-Whirl VIP room

Tomorrow night, the other shoe drops on Midtown. Meaning, of course, that the second half of the long-feared Gidewon nightclub compound on Peachtree Street, will open for business. Vanquish, which opens its doors to the public at 11 p.m, is the lounge-y sister space to Reign, the VIP-heavy nightclub and performance space that opened in July.

It’s been more than two years since club owner Michael Gidewon — a member of the first family of Atlanta nightlife — began in earnest to try to get the necessary zoning and permits to open his two night spots (then jokingly referred to as SPI Club because of the strict Special Public Interest district requirements that represented a hurdle). Even then, much of the space that became Vanquish was built out and furnished, but harsh neighborhood resistance forced Gidewon to fight more than year of legal battles before his opponents had exhausted all options. Is the name, Vanquish, a sly commentary on his eventual victory? I’ll make a note to ask.

You may recall that around 1,500 people signed an online petition in 2009 arguing that the clubs would create too much street noise and bring more crime and littering to a stretch of Midtown that is now home to thousands of condo-dwellers and hotel guests. Club supporters countered that the criticism seemed rooted in a desire to keep out a club that might cater primarily to African Americans. Gidewon himself maintained that the clubs would be aimed at an upscale, mainstream clientele, and would even have a “gay night.”

I don’t live in Midtown. Nor have I visited Reign yet, but I’d like to invite Midtowners to comment on how the club has impacted their lives so far. Is it as bad as the opponents predicted? Have ya’ll been there?