The 100-to-1 Club is one of several projects in the framework of a larger ongoing process that Studio Antares has undertaken with the goal of bringing excitement to the experience at the historic Santa Anita Race Track through innovative and site specific design.
The multi-purpose event space is located at the East end of the track, overlooking the turn within the closest proximity to the race. It welcomes the guest with a strong visual references to San Gabriel Mountains in the distance, to the turf below, and to the magnificent perspective of the grandstands.
A salvaged and restored to its original appearance neon sign gives the eponymous name of the club and recall the glory days at the Track. The former concrete parapet in front of the suite is replaced by glass partition to alleviate the separation between the spectators and the action. Operable automated louvers on the South elevation both control the sunlight and allow a view towards the track even from the very back of the suite.
A banquette separates the mutuels from the party area. The existing spire roof revealed from below, and the exposed steel structure spreading over the entire floor, as well as the original curved concrete walls with hexagon shaped windows - all accentuate the unique spatial flavor of the space.
By interweaving the Race Track's past with its future, the design creates an energetic and engaging space, where spectators feel they are part of the action.