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Washington Ave. seems to be perpetually under development. Nowhere else in Houston does heavy industry commingle so comfortably with $300,000 townhouses, as gentrification reshapes larger and larger sections of the West End. There’s a “work-in-progress” feel about the place that has dominated the past 40-50 years. Against this backdrop, The Social is being born.
 Jaysen Clark and Rene Salvatierra, are principals in The Social, the lounge and patio bar on the corner of Washington and Yale, where Waugh Drive enters The Heights. The two have attempted to capture all the influences that make up the Washington Ave. experience in one space. Starting with a 1940s-era gas station, The Social has developed into a curiosity for passers-by, as more and more eclectic decorative items and furnishings have been added to shape the renovation.
 “We capture the craftsman-era elegance of the old gas station in details like the original tile work,” said Clark, who managed operations of the lounge, “ but this space is contemporary and striking.” Sleek furnishings by designer Phillipe Starcke were handpicked by Clark and Salvatierra for the lounge and include pressure-molded Kartel plastic sofas in varied pastel colors, which contrast with the plush leather furnishings in some spaces of the lounge. The main bar is a restoration of one that originally served a tavern on the south side of Chicago. It dominates the main space. The front doorway is formed from intricate Pakistani carvings in dark wood, eclectically set against a corrugated tin façade. And a giant disco ball – an Clark signature element – hangs in one room, though the space is meant more for socializing, than for dancing.
Outside, more design themes are at work. “The patio is the best in the city,” said Clark. The Social fills its lot with a patio space that includes a permanent installation of the Art Guys’ “1000 coats of paint” Absolut bottle, which serves as a centerpiece for the outdoor bar. The giant, three-dimensional bottle was once featured on a West Loop billboard, where it received daily paintings. It is listed in the Guiness Book of World Records. “We’ll also have an Airstream trailer parked on the patio serving food to complete the West-End aesthetic,” added Clark.
 The Social hopes to spur on redevelopment efforts in the Washington Avenue area. “This area is growing quickly,” said Clark. “Washington is a main thoroughfare into Downtown for all of these new residents. The retail, restaurants and entertainment businesses in this area need to reflect the changing look of the neighborhood.”
Jaysen Clark: W.K.O.S Director of Operations, Jaysen Clark, is a native of New York City and brings much of the spirit of that city’s nightlife to his endeavors in Houston. With more than ten years’ experience in some of Houston’s most high-profile nightspots, including Revere, Tango, Roxy, Crystal, Tonic-Tryst, The Social and The Swank Lounge, Jaysen now applies a wealth of knowledge and an unmatched creative vision nightly to one of Houston’s most successful Uptown bar and lounges, Belvedere.
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