Downtown Phoenix building that once housed dance club has been transformed into a gym

PHOENIX - A building in Downtown Phoenix that at various time was known as DeSoto market and Track Club Phoenix will now be the home of a gym.

FOX 10 reported on the short-lived Track Club Phoenix in 2019. The EDM nightclub opened its door in October that year, only to close less than a month later.

In a statement, Chuckie Duff, the co-owner of the defunct nightclub, said he made a decision to close down the club due to "personal health issues."

Now, over a year after Track Club Phoenix closed down, drinking and dancing is being replaced by benching and biking inside the 12,000 square-foot building.

Pat Brocco, who once worked as the security chief for the old nightclub, is the owner of the gym, which is named TrackClub.

"Just imagining when they shut down, 'man this would be a dope gym,'" Brocco said.

Pat knows a thing or two about fitness. He’s famous for dropping more than 300 pounds through fitness and diet. Now. wants to share his experience with others.

"I was 605 pounds, and one thing I realized it doesn’t happen until you start," said Brocco "Anything is possible, and I was saying that the last five years. If I can do it, anybody can do it."

Brocco envisions a two level indoor/outdoor space, with weights and cardio, private sessions and smoothie bar.

The former dance club might have been transformed into a fitness center, but it will hang onto that cool club vibe.

"Hate to say it, but Doentown is the new Scottsdale. With all the new businesses in clubs, a lot of nightlife, lotta people moving down there. So I’m super excited for the future of downtown," said Brocco.

Brocco says he wants to have the new fitness center open by mid-March, and hopes to eventually have more than 1,000 members.