t has been a tumultuous year for nightlife entrepreneur Tony Guerra. For several months, premature baby twins were in and out of hospitals. Two weeks ago his daughter came home. His son, however, passed away on February 16. “I took a break for two weeks,” Guerra says. “After that, it's been, 'Let's go to work.'”

When Guerra wasn't in an intensive care unit with his family, he was working on his latest club venture: Aero Bar, a South Beach club he describes as cozy, futuristic, and very different. “It's almost like Alice in Wonderland meets the Jetsons,” he observes.

Designed by Matt Peterson in the space that used to house Lola Bar and Nerve, Guerra likens hanging out at Aero Bar to lounging in a martini glass; the inner edges of the club are slanted, round, and aerodynamic. In spite of the name and future theme, Aero Bar won't have anything to do with planes. “I like words with the letter 'A,'” Guerra explains. “On the business side and on all directories... [names of businesses with the letter A] come out first in listings.”

Aero has the same meaning and spelling in any language and dialect, Guerra notes, and it's a concept he can sell. “Our 'Aero' represents the experience of elevations and movement,” he says. “That is why the room is not square interior. Our whole room has rounded edges. It's circular and it flows. That is what we wanted with Aero Bar.”

With a capacity of 300 and an investment of $2 million, Aero Bar will cater to a sophisticated clientele. “The Art Basel crowd will definitely want to party in here,” Guerra predicts, and he knows his nightlife crowds. In the late 1990s, Guerra was the marketing director for Club Bash on South Beach's Washington Avenue, where he handled marketing and promotions for the Living Room, the Forge, and Crobar.

Then, in 2003, he decided to take a shot at politics, running in a three-way race against then-incumbent Miami Beach City Commissioner, Simon Cruz. Guerra finished last but re-emerged in 2004 as part-owner of South Beach nightclub Amika. After a highly popular run, Guerra sold his interest two years later. He went back into marketing but the concept of Aero Bar soon popped into his head and wouldn't leave: “When I left Amika I knew I wanted to do something again when the right time came.”

Teaming up with silent partner and investor Joseph "Smiley" Boyd, Guerra started scouting locations. This past July, they closed on a 15-year lease on the former Nerve space across the street from a newly built Miami Beach public library. With two trendy new hotel neighbors in W South Beach and the Gansevoort South Beach, Guerra declares, “23rd Street is definitely the hip area to be in right now.”

Already he has been inundated with calls about his new venture, from media to wannabe nightlife patrons. “We are swamped,” he says. “We are getting so may calls and reservations about the club. I am really excited.”

Guerra is so excited that he is already making plans to open up a second Aero Bar in New York City. But first, he wants to make sure he gets all the details at the original just right. He won't rush things, even if it that means missing the Winter Music Conference. Thus, the planned opening will span over four days, between April 10 and April 14. -E.B.