The Guvernment and Koolhaus announced today that they're shutting down for good, just when we thought it was safe to bask in a little optimism. If you smell condos, we do too. The venues' sound might have been muffled (check the debate over on our best Toronto live music venues post) but having opened its doors in 1996 after the closing of RPM, the complex was a crucial part of Toronto's early electronic scene and also Canada's largest and longest-running club.

The Guv plans to celebrate its esteemed 17 years - and performances/sets by The Rolling Stones, Prince, Bob Dylan, Lady Gaga, Tiesto, Avicii, and Deadmau5 - with a huge bash, though details are still TBA. The club will be "open as normal through summer and autumn," reads a press release issued by INK Entertainment earlier today. "The farewell will begin in the two or three weeks leading up to The Guvernment's close, with a series of closing parties featuring The Guvernment's closest DJs and promoters, and a grand closing weekend at the end of January [2015]."

Notably, waterfront/Queens Quay condo development has reached a frenzied pace over the last few years. With in-progress developments lining the south side of the street, a massive project proposed at the foot of Yonge Street, and the LCBO selling off its downtown headquarters, it's hard to imagine that the nightclub and live venue won't become part of the residential mix once the music's over.

I guess soon some jerks (maybe you!) will be able to say they live in The Guvernment/RPM with varying degrees of irony depending on their chosen lifestyle brand. Toronto will soon be lacking another mid-sized venue, and though this change was inevitable, both clubs will be missed by Toronto music lovers.