This strip club has a UFO on the roof – here’s why

Talk about a special kind of encounter.

A strip club in Florida is out of this world – and we’re not just talking about the dancers.

Tampa’s aptly named “2001 Odyssey” has become a real roadside attraction thanks to the giant UFO – complete with colorful lights at night – atop the building.

The club’s website states that he has appeared in films such as “The Punisher” and the skating video game “Tony Hawk’s Underground.”

The history of this elaborately designed roof flair goes back to 1969 – the same year that Apollo 11 left Cape Canaveral for the moon – when a Finnish designer presented the idea of ​​interstellar, 46-square-meter prefabricated houses that were supposed to be reminiscent of an alien spaceship.

They were equipped with a retractable door hatch, porthole-like windows and everything.

But the “Futuro” concept devised by Matti Suuronen was not well received by the public: only disappointing quantities were sold in the USA and the company went bankrupt in 1975, as the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Nevertheless, Florida Futuro sales manager Jerry DeLong wants to believe in the concept, his son Bruce DeLong told the outlet.

Jerry was a die-hard fan of this masterpiece by Stanley Kubrick and opened the strip club with partners in the 1970s as a tribute to Dave and HAL 9000.

They brought the display model from a location in Clearwater and, with great effort, lifted it onto the roof using a crane. On the first attempt, a gust of wind caused the ship to slam into the side of the building.

Today, Odyssey has a new owner: DeLong became a Goodyear tire dealer after his partner was caught in a $1 million counterfeit money scam. The building continues to offer a glimpse into the future – as it was imagined in 1971.

A look inside via Google Maps shows a very old-fashioned, cramped main stage room with mirrored ceilings, stiff metal chairs, somewhat alien decor, and a neon-colored carpet like most bowling alleys want.

There’s also a charming neon sign for the restroom that reads “The Pisser” – right next to another “Make It Rain” sign near an ATM that changes large bills into one-dollar bills.

The Interstellar Enigma was voted the “#1 Full Nude Strip Club in Tampa Bay,” according to the club’s website, but the award winner was not named.

The alien theme has also been tried out closer to home – Long Island City-based gentlemen’s club Gallagher’s 2000 once took up the concept with an infamous late-night commercial featuring aliens exploring all sides of our solar system.