Moorpark's oldest commercial building will house a Japanese cocktail bar and jazz lounge after the Planning Commission unanimously approved the project Sept. 22.

The commission voted 4-0 to grant a conditional use permit for Samuzora Japanese Spirits at 601 Moorpark Ave., the corner of Moorpark Avenue and High Street known as Tanner's Corner. Chair Kipp Landis was absent. Commissioners Alva, Di Cecco, Hamalainen and Winters voted in favor, according to meeting minutes.

The 2,460-square-foot space, most recently home to Caesar's Carpets, will become a bar featuring Japanese spirits, premium cocktails, charcuterie and finger foods with a Japanese influence, and live jazz on Friday and Saturday nights.

Co-owner Robert Cox, who grew up in Moorpark and said his family moved there in the 1970s, told the commission he and co-owner Samuel Khosravi want to fill a gap in the city's nightlife. Cox described a place "higher level and more elegant" where patrons "don't have to shout across the table," as first reported by the Moorpark Acorn.

The building dates to 1900, when it was constructed as a barn. Commissioner Mike Winters said it started as a blacksmith shop before Ira Tanner converted it into a gas station and garage in 1913. Winters called it Moorpark's only structure listed on the California Register of Historical Resources and praised the Velasquez family, which owns the property, for preserving it.

The owners plan to honor that history. While cleaning the space, Cox and Khosravi found auto parts dating to 1945. They had the items professionally framed and plan to display them alongside historical photographs.

A Historic Resources Assessment by GPA Consulting found the planned exterior changes comply with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and will not alter the building's original character-defining features.

Hours will run 2 to 10 p.m. Sundays and Tuesdays through Thursdays, and 2 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Live jazz and softer music will play from 8 p.m. to midnight on weekends. The business expects to employ about 10 people.

No opening date has been announced.