The Guvernment
The Guvernment's south side exterior in July 2007 (main entrance was on east side).
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| Former names | Fresh (1984-1985) RPM (1985-1995) |
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| Address | 132 Queen's Quay East Toronto ON M5A 3Y5 |
| Location | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Coordinates | 43°38′39″N 79°22′08″W / 43.644212°N 79.368804°WCoordinates: 43°38′39″N 79°22′08″W / 43.644212°N 79.368804°W |
| Owner | INK Entertainment |
| Capacity | The Guvernment (3,000) Kool Haus (2,500) Entire Complex (10,000+) |
| Construction | |
| Opened | September 1996 |
| Renovated | 2007 |
| Closed | 25 January 2015 |
| Demolished | February 2015 |
| Website | |
| Venue website | |
The Guvernment was a nightclub complex in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was also the name of one of the two main performance venues within the complex. The other venue was Kool Haus (formerly The Warehouse). Other smaller rooms within the complex included: The Drink (renovated to become Cathouse then Surface), D'Luxe Lounge (renovated to become Haven), The Orange Room (renovated to become Chroma), SkyBar, Charlies (renovated to become Gallery), Tanja and Acid Lounge. The Guvernment opened in 1996 and closed in early 2015.
Prior to closure, the property was sold to The Daniels Corporation real estate development company and is since March 2015 in the process of being turned into C$700 million condominium development called City of the Arts.
The site of the Guvernment was first converted into a nightclub in 1984 as Fresh Restaurant and Nightclub by Tony and Albert Assoon, two of the four Assoon brothers who ran the successful and influential Twilight Zone after-hours club at 185 Richmond Street West. However, Fresh did not do well and was quickly sold by late 1985.
The space returned almost immediately as RPM under the ownership of Murray Ball, an entrepreneur with prior experience on the Toronto nightlife scene having successfully run The Copa in Yorkville. Well known local DJs Terry "TK" Kelly and Chris Sheppard were brought over from The Copa to be RPM's residents.
In the early 1990s an adjacent venue opened as The Warehouse, a large club space used for concerts such as Björk, Suede, Radiohead, Bush, Catherine Wheel, David Bowie, and Foo Fighters.
The declining RPM and The Warehouse venues were taken over in late 1995 by Charles Khabouth. Following extensive renovation, he renamed RPM as The Guvernment, reopening in September 1996. Initially kept, The Warehouse name got changed to Kool Haus by late 1997. Khabouth revamped RPM by installing a series of smaller lounges and bars within the complex. A sound system was designed for the main room by audio engineer Steve Dash and remained throughout the club's existence despite various renovations. Khabouth credited the system as one of the best in the city and would call Dash up from the United States to tune the room's mixer when required. Additionally, Khabouth also arranged for the installation of a wooden raised floor that had to be redone every year due to wear and tear at a cost of $30,000 to $40,000, citing it as a necessary component to achieve better sound.
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