What a swell party

Guests who showed up for the recent unveiling of downtown’s Golden Gopher bar were treated to a goodie bag containing: a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer can, ginkgo water, Horny Goat Weed tablets, Advil and a Trojan condom.

Oh, and there were these secret ingredients. To quote:

Golden Gopher Cocktail

* One crack-infested run-down building;

* One $500,000 investment;

* Two crazy owners opening in front of drug dealers, transvestites and hookers;

* One insane designer wanting to rip the roof off one-quarter of the building;

* 90 cases booze.

Directions:

* Mix these knuckleheads together, add in the booze and serve.

What may have seemed like a crazy idea is actually the best thing to happen to downtown L.A. since the Standard Hotel debuted its rooftop pool bar.

Simply stated, the Golden Gopher is a fabulous bar, and owners Cedd Moses, Marc Smith and designer Ricki Kline credit beaten-up British flats, acid flashbacks and Liberace as key inspirations.

Add a double dose of New Orleans-style decadence, ghosts of the past and a liquor license so old they are actually allowed to sell booze out the front door, and you’ve got the picture.

“We think it needed to be done,” says Moses, who founded Two One Three Inc., a nightclub and restaurant development company he owns with Smith. “We need a vital downtown. In the past, everyone’s evacuated at night, but now people are living here, buying lofts and living in spaces with no backyard. We want to be their backyard.”

Smith and Moses, who have leased four additional bars, recently purchased a building, shuttered 10 years, that once housed a soup kitchen. They’re transforming it into office space.

“The market down here is exploding,” Moses says. “And we think this is the beginning of something potentially very big.”

To be sure, the Golden Gopher is a flagship bar for downtown L.A. As barkeeps, Moses and Smith have long pedigrees.

Moses owns such L.A. bars as Liquid Kitty, 4100 and Cobra Lily, and Smith’s properties include Hollywood’s famed Three Clubs bar and the Sunset Strip restaurant North. Both pooled their resources to create Gopher, a bar that originally opened in 1905. Hiring designer Kline was a sure thing. All three had worked together for a decade.

“I respect and care about the history of these old buildings,” says Kline, who built and designed North, Three Clubs and Liquid Kitty, among others. “I wanted people to see the building’s bare bones, but I wanted to overlay it with a luxurious gloss, mixing the space’s raw qualities with decadence.”

Like a trip to the dark side of the moon, the Golden Gopher is simultaneously brooding and inviting, as if you’ve just dropped in on a Southern speakeasy and the gang’s all there.

With tucked-away cozy booths and multiple lounge areas, the bar is comfortable despite its blackened interior and Gothic touches.

As you enter the club, you pass its nifty liquor store, where well-scrubbed clerks sell bottles of booze and six-packs over the counter along with a variety of other treats.

Throughout the bar, you’ll find plenty of tongue-in-cheek references. The club is illuminated by wall lamps with decidedly arrogant-looking hand-carved gophers as a base.

In addition, the walls are covered with richly textured Lincrusta wallpaper, which is used throughout England to cover up aging plaster. In a downtown L.A. bar, however, the Lincrusta effect is groovy, giving the room a dark, insulated feel, which is brightened up by a variety of dangling chandeliers and candelabras.

Adding to the whimsy is the bar area, which is backed by windows facing a solid brick wall just inches from the glass.

Directly behind the bar is another window, which looks out onto the Gopher’s outdoor lounge area -- which was created by ripping off a quarter of the roof.

“It brings the outside in,” Kline says. “We needed to show people the beauty of where they are. When you step out there, you’re in downtown L.A. and you know it.”

The result is a very metropolitan feel. Guests can enjoy views of downtown landmarks while sipping on a Gopher Mojito (Bacardi with fresh lime juice and mint) or a Low Life (Pabst, with a well shot).

“This is the ultimate bachelor bar,” says Senor Amor, a DJ who made the scene on opening night. “The vibe of this place is so sexy and cool and a little bit dangerous. It’s like Hollywood was 10 years ago.”

Adding to that edgy feel is the music spun by the club’s DJs -- rock and punk, loud and proud.

Although the neighborhood is still rife with homeless folks and drug addicts, there’s nothing that would cause a seasoned city slicker concern. In fact, the location has plenty of perks. First, it’s wonderful to be able to roll up and park on the street -- a distant memory for Hollywood clubgoers. In addition, there’s a $2 parking lot around the corner on Hill Street. That’s right, $2.

The Gopher is already attracting an eclectic mix of people.

On a recent night, the bar was loaded with masked wrestlers and burlesque dancers, who’d just finished a parade down the street. Beside them were businessmen in suits chilling after a day at the office as well as local artists who’d recently moved into nearby lofts.

“Everyone was side by side, buying each other drinks and everyone was getting along,” Smith says. “It gave me chills because I believe L.A. can have a city center like Chicago and New York. The bottom line is, it’s going to become a real city and we’re just trying to make it happen that much sooner.”

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Heidi Siegmund Cuda can be reached at weekend@latimes.com.

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Golden Gopher

Where: 417 W. 8th St., L.A.

When: 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Monday to Friday; 7 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays

Price: No cover. 21 and older.

Info: (213) 614-8001