BY ALEX KELLOGG

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

The lowdown: Though you'll see Centre Street's intertwined Cs still up on the awning, the spacious Harmonie Park lounge has a new name: Grand Central Lounge. The stylish nightspot has gone through several incarnations in recent years. After closing last fall and being open intermittently around New Year's Day and the Super Bowl, it had a soft reopening under new ownership in May. The owners say a new sign will go up soon.

The lounge is the same cozy, multipurpose space it was before. Three of the four new owners, Ron Mims, Maurice Morton, Joe Odesh, and Chad Rhodes, are recognized Detroit promoters, and Mims and Morton are not new to Harmonie Park, the cozy enclave near Comerica Park that has several restaurants and bars. They were two of the five owners of Cayenne & Chocolate Bar, where the Rhino is now. It drew huge crowds until a dispute with the landlord led to its closing three years ago.

Mims and Morton's track record as event organizers and the recent influx of professionals to the area should help them. Plus this place always had a lot of potential, going back to 2000 and its opening as Centre Street Pub. The lounge, which becomes more of a nightclub as the evening unfolds, will have its grand opening Thursday. DJ Jazzy Jeff, who's made a name for himself since the days he was teamed with Will (Fresh Prince) Smith, will spin.

Tonight, there will be a big party with a collection of well-known party promotion companies -- Avida and Informal Libations among them. (There's a $10 cover beginning at 9 p.m., with inflation expected as the night goes on.)

Atmosphere: The polished parquet dance floor has the arrows and dotted foul line that marked bowling lanes. The entrance has a stone floor that opens into a warm, carpeted room with thick leather chairs and tables with candles. Things pick up around 10 or 11 p.m.

Décor: Divided into three rooms with a central, wrap-around bar connecting the main two, the lounge sports an awning-covered entrance that leads you downstairs. The bar, made of cherry and black- speckled marble, has brass foot rails. On one side of the dance floor are wood and glass cases. The other half of that room has an arrangement of steel and leather tables and chairs.

Crowd: So far, it has been largely well-dressed city dwellers and a sprinkling of suburbanites. As long as you like the music, you'll feel comfortable.

Dress: Gym shoes and baseball caps will fly only after Tigers and Lions games. Jeans are OK, but you won't see many men without a jacket.

Food and drink: There's a large kitchen that's being remodeled. A menu hasn't been set yet. Expect appetizers and tapas in the $5-$15 range.

At the moment, the lounge features two $8 specialty martinis: the Grand Central Lemonade, made of Bacardi Limon, Cheri-Beri Pucker and Sprite; and the Motini, made with whatever premium vodka you ask for, Blue Curacao, sour mix, grenadine and Sprite. There are happy hour specials on most drinks from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays. Domestic beers are $4; imports are $5. A rum and Coke costs $7, and wines generally run $6-$8.

On a few occasions, the bar has run out of key beverages. Mims says the problems have been worked out.

Music and entertainment: There are two resident DJs: Bruce Bailey and Slopoke, both fixtures on Detroit's nightlife scene. Normally, the music is a blend of hip-hop, R&B, reggae, neo-soul and occasionally house, except when N'Chanted, a jazz group, plays 5-9 p.m. Fridays.

Pickup Potential: When crowded, it's as high as you could hope for.

TVs: There are two 19-inch flat screen TVs above the bar, and two 50-inch ones lined up on the back of the dance floor in the second room. Music videos and sports are the norm as the night goes on.

Hopping possibilities: You can grab dinner outside at the Hunter House hamburger joint, get a cheap beer at Coach's Corner, listen to jazz at the Rhino or people-watch on the streets of a rejuvenated Harmonie Park.

Cover: Normally there isn't one, but for special events, the charge could be $5 or higher.

Parking: No valet yet. A big parking structure is right across the street at the intersection of Centre Street and E. Grand River. There are two parking lots nearby -- one on Randolph and another on Madison about half a block away.

Hours: 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Wednesday-Friday and 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturday. (Wednesday hours begin Sept. 6.)