Crocodile Café expected to reopen

The Croc lives!

Seattle's best and most-famous rock club, the Crocodile Café, will reopen in "late January/early February," said spokeswoman Kerri Harrop.

"Right now, it still looks like it looked last time you or anyone else was in it," Harrop said. The Croc's "abrupt close last year left a lot of people reeling," she said.

What's going on until the club reopens?

"Construction." When that's done, "I anticipate capacity will be around the 400 mark."

There will be two businesses in the building and two entrances. According to Harrop, Via Tribunali will sell pizza "where the back bar was," and the wall separating the concert area from the cafe area will be knocked out. She wouldn't specify exactly how the Crocodile will bleed into Via Tribunali.

Last month, The Seattle Times reported that area bar owner Marcus Charles had obtained the Croc's liquor license. Harrop said, "Marcus Charles has assembled a good group of investors that includes Susan Silver, Peggy Curtis and Sean Kinney."

As for who will book the music, Harrop confirmed no more than "a human being."

Former Croc and current Chop Suey booker Pete Greenberg said he's not been asked to book the club, and Steven Severin, who books and runs Neumo's, said, "You can write that I don't know what the hell is going on."

Perhaps most important, "Jim Anderson will still be running the sound," Harrop said. In the past, he made the Croc Seattle's best-sounding rock venue. "All efforts are being made to make sure the room sounds and looks perfect," she said.

Earlier this week, artist David Choe posted newly shot Croc photos online.

Andrew Matson: 206-464-2153 or amatson@seattletimes.com