Rogers: Scottsdale was different back then. And Greg loved the rave scene and Steven was more into the scene. Markus Schulz, former resident DJ at The Works: There were two owners, Greg and Steven. And The Works was a good example of that. I always thought, if you always follow your passion and you do it as pure art as opposed to practicality and making money, then the universe sort of provides. Rogers: The Works was something I've talked about and talked about and wanted to do. The pair transformed the place into The Works. In 1991, Rogers and Walker began leasing a 14,000-square-foot building off of Scottsdale Road and Second Street, the onetime home of now-defunct theater company Actors Lab Arizona. So I said, “Why don't I do something for myself?” We were so furious and it wasn’t a priority to me anymore. burned to the ground and we rebuilt it, but Tempe changed the after-hours laws to screw us over. They wanted to roll up the sidewalks after one o’clock.
We had after-hours there, but last call was at 1 a.m. And frankly, I didn’t identify with either one.Īnd I was having problems with the city of Tempe with running after-hours. And then, I built a place in the Scottsdale Galleria called The Zone, this comedy club, bar, and restaurant. Steven Rogers, co-owner of The Works: I was really frustrated at the time because I had a college bar on Mill Avenue with a lot of frat boys that tore the place apart. Steven Rogers In 1991, Steven Rogers and then-business partner Greg Walker owned a pair of bars, Club UM in Tempe and The Zone in Scottsdale. ( Editor’s note: Some quotes have been condensed and edited for brevity and clarity.)
Phoenix New Times has assembled an oral history of The Works in honor of Schulz returning to the Valley this weekend for a performance at Shady Park in Tempe. “I really think fondly back at the days at The Works because I would try different things and see how it felt, whereas in a lot of places I wouldn’t have been able to do that because you’re judged right away,” says Schulz. The latter artist, who served as The Works’ resident DJ until its closure in 1998, says it prepared him for EDM superstardom. It also helped launch two of the biggest DJs to come out of the Valley, Eddie Amador and Markus Schulz. They all came to dance, party, and go wild. I gave them a platform for that.”Īfter debuting in 1992, The Works was a hangout for local club kids and ravers, a destination for the LGBTQ community, and a safe space for weirdos and outcasts. “People tell me stories about the club all the time, like ‘I met my wife there.’ It’s just weird to build a nightclub and find out how it changed their lives. It wasn’t my biggest financial success, but was important for myself and others,” Rogers says. It’s known as Rogers’ most famous project - an influential spot that was unique for its time. Rogers eventually comes upon a collection of light fixtures that hung from the ceiling of The Works, the defunct Scottsdale dance club from the ’90s he co-owned with former business partner Greg Walker. “I’m sort of an organized hoarder,” Rogers says while walking through the collection.
That’s immediately evident when visiting the central Phoenix warehouse filled with remnants of the numerous bars and clubs he’s opened in the past three decades. Nightclub owner Steven Rogers has a hard time getting rid of things.