While Gatien has created some of the hottest clubs of the day (fabulously known for an owner that didn't give a fuck what you did in his clubs), in recent years he just wanted to become his own opposite; a quiet Canadian looking for a nice little boutique hotel to start up. It was in this quest that brought him to tour the dormant Lucid space. And what a space it was; inspirational from the get-go, monstrous but still very Playdium-ish (the first incarnation of the building). But it had good bones. So he called out his boys from NYC for a second opinion and talked about what might work.

It was agreed that, in his hands, the space was do-able, and quickly the machine that will eventually be Circa was in motion. Initially co-owned by Hingson Entertainment (the corporation behind the now-defunct Eight Resto lounge, Eight Below and the never-materialized Chocolate Bar), the team would re-invent the club scene as we knew it.

Alas, the dream was too lofty. Business differences, financing and general conflict of vision for the 3,000 capacity club had left the partners going their separate ways. And Hingson, with a $20M lawsuit landing in their lap, had other things to worry about.

So, for the majority of Circa’s gestation, all eyes have been directed solely towards Gatien - the sole persona of the club to make his next move; as the property lease was always in Gatien's name anyway, Club Circa is ultimately his baby to do with what he likes.

And what Gatien apparently likes is to surround himself with other bold face names: event planner Travis Bass, designer Joakim Hannerz, NYC design firm AvroKO; former Drake Hotel Arts Director Jeff Rogers and Kidrobot Founder Paul Budnitz have all been gathered for the project. This endeavour reflects a strong group of enthusiastic supporters, serious cash flow, and the curiosity of the Torontoland of which he now lives.