Former steakhouse to become event venue

The building once adorned with a fake cow on U.S. 41 south of Stickney Point Road was a pool hall, a steakhouse and even a haunted house during Halloween of 2012. The property will soon become an event space with three ballrooms and enough room for 700 people.

Carl Wise’s All Event Rental and Design purchased the 18,428-square-foot former Sam Seltzer's Steakhouse and Livingston’s Billiards retail building for $3 million. The price equated to $163 per square foot., which is $23 greater than the two-year average price per square foot for retail space in the Tampa Bay area, according to the CoStar Group.

The Sarasota-based buyer purchased the property to create a new event venue called The DEVYN, according to Jennifer Matteo, event and marketing director for All Event Rental and Design.

“We’re fully renovating space with hardwood flooring, exposed brickwork and finished concrete,” she says. “There will be three separate ballrooms with seating for a total of 700. Being in the event business, we see that there is a very strong need for new event sites. We’re taking bookings for it right now.”

Barry Seidel and Adam Seidel of American Property Group of Sarasota Inc. handled the transaction.

The DEVYN is scheduled to open in June.