Pay $250 a month to never have to host a dinner party again? I have to say it’s tempting, and that’s the notion behind Maxwell Tribeca, the social club opening in the former China Blue (nee Capsouto Frères) space at 451 Washington on the corner with Watts. The club is about five months out from completion and the founders invited me for a tour of the gutted restaurant.

It looks a lot roomier in there than I remembered, and it is: they broke through to almost another half of the floor that was the back of house for the former restaurants. There aren’t any special relics, but it does have some classic Tribeca former-warehouse features: huge windows, exposed brick, original columns, and of course the raised loading platform on Washington that makes for excellent outdoor seating. (A bit more info here from when they got their liquor license.)

But back to their form of the “third space” concept: The founders (David Litwak, a tech entrepreneur; Tribecan Kyle Chaning; and Joelle Fuchs) describe it as a social club for 600 members (there are 100 signed up so far) that will offer three ways gather: around the kitchen islands (there will be three), in lounges and at dining tables. There will be one fully-vented kitchen in the center of the room across from the Watts Street entrance, sponsored by JennAire with 10 burners and all the bells and whistles. The other two kitchens are more like bars, but with service areas for food.

The club will sell bottles, but no food will be for sale. Members can store their booze in lockers, or bring it in, and bring in their own chef or takeout or cook themselves. The staffing will be minimal — but there will be someone there to do the dishes.

“People want to be able to curate their own social events and meet friends and friends of friends,” David said. “They don’t prioritize service as much as everyone thinks they do. They don’t need someone to open their Heineken for them.”

The notion is maybe you stop by on your way to dinner for a drink, or use it to throw a dinner party, or meet friends at the end of the night. Like any club, there will be an incentive to come more frequently. The founders are interviewing all the potential members, but could not fill me in on the rubric other than they are looking to make it a diverse and interesting group. “Just because it’s private,” David said, “doesn’t mean it’s exclusive.”

Right now that corner of the neighborhood could use some action: Related has cleared out Truffles Tribeca while they convert it to condos; the Fika space is still empty; and there are sidewalk bridges all over including at 451 Washington. But the construction on the building should be completed in time for their opening: they are aiming for mid-October.