Studio 54

When CBS began marketing the building in 1976, various interests in the art and fashion world expressed interest in seeing it converted into a nightclub. Male model Uva Harden tried to get gallery owner Frank Lloyd to finance the club, until Lloyd lost a $9 million lawsuit to the estate of the artist Mark Rothko, the Rothko Case.

In 1977 the theater was transformed into a nightclub called Studio 54 by Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager, with Jack Dushey as a financial backer. They operated the company as Broadway Catering Corp. It took only six weeks to transform the theater into a nightclub and cost $400,000 before its grand opening on April 26.

Rubell and Schrager hired Scott Bromley as architect, Ron Doud as interior designer and Brian Thompson as lighting designer. Jules Fisher and Paul Marantz, two well-known lighting designers, created the dance floor environment and created moveable, theatrical sets and lights using the copious existing TV lighting circuits and fly system, which allowed for a dynamic constantly changing environment. Where formerly all clubs had been very dark, at Studio 54 the crowd could be lit brightly.

Within a month of opening, the New York State Liquor Authority raided Studio 54 for selling liquor without a license, and closed it. The owners of the nightclub said the incident was a "misunderstanding". The next night the club reopened, serving fruit juice and soda instead of liquor. Prior to the raid, the nightclub had been using daily "caterers' permits", which enabled the nightclub to serve alcohol but were intended for weddings or political events. The State had denied the daily permit for the night and raided the nightclub. The nightclub had been using these permits while waiting for its liquor license to be processed.

Event planner Robert Isabell had four tons of glitter dumped in a four-inch layer on the floor of Studio 54 for a New Year's Eve party, which owner Ian Schrager described as like "standing on stardust" and left glitter that could be found months later in their clothing and homes. Frequent regulars at Studio 54 included Andy Warhol, Liza Minnelli, Bianca Jagger, Elizabeth Taylor, Halston, Mick Jagger, Jerry Hall, Debbie Harry, Grace Jones, Michael Jackson, Calvin Klein, Elton John, Tina Turner, Divine, Margaret Trudeau, Sylvia Miles, Francesco Scavullo, Truman Capote, Margaux Hemingway, Janice Dickinson, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Diana Ross, Cher, Salvador Dali, Diana Vreeland, John Travolta, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Brooke Shields and Martha Graham.

Performers at Studio 54 during its first few years of operation included Grace Jones, Donna Summer, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Gloria Gaynor, Sylvester, Amii Stewart, Stephanie Mills, The Ritchie Family, The Village People, Anita Ward, Two Tons o' Fun, Jocelyn Brown, France Joli, Cheryl Lynn, Jean Carne, Claudja Barry, Klaus Nomi and Linda Clifford.

In December 1978 Rubell was quoted in the New York newspapers as saying that Studio 54 had made $7 million in its first year and that "only the Mafia made more money". Shortly thereafter the nightclub was raided and Rubell and Schrager were arrested for skimming $2.5 million.

Studio 54 closed with a final party on February 4, 1980, when Diana Ross personally serenaded Rubell and Schrager. Ryan O'Neal, Mariel Hemingway, Jocelyn Wildenstein, Richard Gere, Gia Carangi, Jack Nicholson, Reggie Jackson, and Sylvester Stallone were among the guests that night. Schrager and Rubell pleaded guilty to tax evasion and spent 13 months in prison. It was the first time anyone had ever been prosecuted for a one-year tax evasion.

In 1981, Rubell and Schrager sold the building, but opted to keep a lease. Later that year, the building was sold to Mark Fleischman with Rubell and Schrager staying on as consultants for six months afterward. Studio 54 reopened on September 12, 1981, with a guest list of Andy Warhol, Calvin Klein, Cary Grant, Lauren Hutton, Gloria Vanderbilt, Mark Gastineau, Gina Lollobrigida, and Brooke Shields. Billy Amato's "Z100/WPLJ" Saturday Night radio parties and Michael Fesco's "Sunday's at the Studio" artists who performed at the time, Madonna, Wham!, Duran Duran, Cyndi Lauper, Culture Club, Lime, Spandau Ballet, Menudo, and Run-DMC would perform at the club, before going on to future success. KISS held a concert at the club in 1982 that was broadcast via satellite to the Sanremo Festival in Italy. During 1985, heavy metal groups Slayer, Venom and Exodus filmed a video at Studio 54 called Ultimate Revenge for Disco. In the 1980s many legendary freestyle music artists performed at the club such as Noel Pagan, Nocera, Cynthia, Coro, Tony Moran, India, TKA, Black Riot, Fascination, Sweet Sensation, Pajama Party, Johnny O, Hanson & Davis, and many others. Radio stations such as 92 KTU, HOT-103, and HOT-97 would broadcast each live event for these freestyle music artists.

Famed New York City doorman Haoui Montaug worked as a doorman at Studio 54.

From 1981 to April 1986 Studio 54 was under the ownership of Mark Fleischman. Then from 1988 until early 1993 Studio 54's name was changed to The Ritz (previously located on 11th Street 3rd Avenue from 1980 to 1987). The club then became strictly a concert venue for New Wave, Punk, and Eurodisco artists. The new owners were CAT Entertainment Corp and during that period the nightclub hosted occasional rock concerts, and was otherwise used by CAT Entertainment as a public venue available for rent. In 1993 CAT Entertainment was acquired by Cabaret Royale Corporation, a nightclub operator based in Dallas. CAT Entertainment completed a renovation of the nightclub earlier abandoned because of a lack of funds, and resurrected both the nightclub and the Studio 54 trademark, which had never been properly registered by any of the prior owners or operators. The newly remodeled nightclub was operated as "Cabaret Royale at Studio 54" by CAT Entertainment until early 1995. The Pilevsky interests which owned the theater itself and the adjacent office building had several years earlier granted a mortgage on the properties to the Bank of Tokyo and, in an effort to resolve a large unpaid indebtedness of Pilevsky to the bank and to forestall foreclosure, a trustee had been appointed by Pilevsky and the bank and granted the right to sell those and numerous other properties owned by Pilevsky. During late 1994 Allied Partners acquired the Studio 54 properties and, after protracted litigation, CAT Entertainment lost its lease on the nightclub and ceased operations.

During 1994 Allied Partners bought the building for $5.5 million. They restored much of the architectural detail that had been painted black or covered with plywood by Schrager and Rubell. The nightclub reopened with a live concert by disco stars Gloria Gaynor, Vicki Sue Robinson, and Sister Sledge. The building again went into bankruptcy in 1996 and Allied announced plans to demolish it and replace it with Cyberdrome, a virtual reality gaming venue, however, the project was never completed.

During 1998 the collapse of a construction hoist blocked access to the Henry Miller Theatre on 43rd Street, where the successful revival of the Broadway musical Cabaret was playing. To keep the show accessible, the Roundabout Theater Company agreed to move the performance to Studio 54. Roundabout later bought the building in 2003 from Allied for $22.5 million, and Cabaret played until 2004.

Loved it!!!!

I wished I had been old enough to get into the 54 but I was a child back then.

Bump this thread, please!

Here is the documentary on Studio 54.

I wish I had been old enough to have gone into the Studio 54.

In the 1960's "What's My Line?" was broadcast live from that theatre.

THAT alone is enough to make it a landmark.

It was the elite's playground of the day.

There have been far more sublime discos than Studio 54.

Name me a couple of sublime discos, r10.

Xenon

Well its about the peak year or 2 of the place, too, but here are some places:

NYC: Paradise Garage, The Saint, Palladium, Mudd Club, Jackie 60, Danceteria

London: Trash, The Fridge, Bagley’s, Trade,

Berlin: Berghain, Chalet

And any old big Ibiza disco in the late 80's. They were ALL heaven, then.

Thanks for the info, r13.

The Saint and Palladium and the Ibiza clubs had the architecture, design, staircases, sound systems and clientele. Arguably Limelight for the space but the people were disappointing. Well maybe not so much the clientele at the Saint but the Saint had a great minimal space, amazing flowers, and sound.

Sublime need not be glam however as with the London and Berlin clubs, gritty, but transcendently so.

None of those places mentioned above could compare, even remotely, to Studio 54 during it's heyday.

60 Minutes Disco Music Story - Studio 54

This thread has been done.

Well r16 i guess it depends on what you were into. Paradise Garage, Danceteria, Pyramid, Robots (after hours), the World etc. I had an amazing time at all these clubs my favorite being the Pyramid. Studio 54 was a particular type of experience, if that's the crowd you liked partying with then yeah I guess you might find it as the best of the best but there were many many many great places to party back then.

[quote] i guess it depends on what you were into

It's not about your personal tastes or my personal tastes. I went there only once and yet I lived 8 blocks away.

Studio 54 was in a league of it's own. It was legendary, it has become a cultural landmark .

I dont deny 54's "legendary status" but that doesn't mean it was the best club of all time. Most of its legend rests on it having been a VIP club. The hoi polloi often believe that anything VIP must be the best. And VIP people will tell you that their haunts are the best. Sometimes the places are great but there are a lot of elements that make up a great disco/club.

Ku was a dream. Palladium had fantastic spaces and during its 15 minutes, VIPs, if thats so important.

Thank you r21.

Agree with R16- Studio was unique in its blend of gay men (mostly) celebrities and straight people who had in common being good looking and/or famous. Nothing fair about this place.

The Saint was pretty special too. And many of the clubs mentioned above were as well. But Studio and then the Saint? Nothing quite like either in the day or since and I went to all of 'em.

Nile Rodgers and Chic couldn't get into the Studio 54 either. They told the guy at the velvet rope that they were the guests of Grace Jones. They were turned away. That's what inspired them to write the song called "Le Freak."

Vanity Fair did a great story on the rise and fall of Studio 54 and its owners.

Studio 54 was in a league all its own...

But the best night club of all time and the most sublime was The Starck Club...

Studio 54 was a disco that could have only opened in New York. It could only happen in the late 1970's where sex, cocaine and disco was the lifestyle of the people who went there back then.

Rod Stewart, Alana Hamilton and Elton john at Studio 54 in 1977.

WCCO-TV Bill Carlson interviews Studio 54 Steve Rubell, 1979

Ian Schrager On His Hotels

MIchael Jackson Studio 54 Interview

I heard that they were doing some nasty stuff at Studio 54, that can't even be published.

You can say it here, R33.

This is like the disco version of the Golden Girls threads for DL's Olds, who were either there or wish they'd been there.

Fortunately, this is way more interesting.

Olds: It seems to me that 54's uniqueness was in getting people who did not normally go to clubs to actually show up at one. So many of the people who went, especially celebrities, were not the club-going type. Or were clubs just more mixed-age back then? (In 2016, I don't know anyone over 30 who actually goes "clubbing" unless it's for a charity thing. Not too many over 25, for that matter.)

Come on, r33.

What was happening on the barback's nipple here?

(Sidenote: This is from a photo set by Jean-Pierre Laffont, who is one of the greatest photojournalists of all time and worth checking out, btw.)

It's a well known fact that they used to shoot snuff films in the basement of Studio 54.

r37 thank you for that. That's a great shot--Old Master level.

Le Studio Cinquante quatre.

Who actually hated Studio 54?

That is one JIVE FRO on MJ!

R13 - while the genre of music was different at the Mudd Club, it was pretty pretentious. The Mudd Club wanted to be like Club 57 that was down on St. Marks. I was much more comfortable at Club 57 or CBGBs than the Mudd Club or Studio 54.

I was 16 in 1979 and looked younger. I was a regular at all the punk clubs, and usually dressed in Levi's, work boots (Herman Survivors at that point), and a leather jacket. I was shirtless but had a wife beater in my back pocket in case anyone gave me shit. I was walked into Studio 54 maybe 5 times after being dragged there with some friends. I liked beer and weed so I was totally out of place. The only person who was nice to me at Studio 54 was Truman Capote. I fucked a few guys for voyeurs who like to watch, but never touched the famous people.

Club 57 was more my scene, especially monster movie nights.

By the time I entered NYU as a freshman, these places were dead. My taste in music also changed. The Clash were my high school idols, and they had Texan Joe Ely open their shows around 1980/1981. Texas rock became my favorite and I spent lots of time at the Lone Star.

I went there and went to ton of discos all over the world as a teenage gayling.

Nothing came close to 54 for atmosphere and disco cool.

I'm trying to remember the London versions - they were NOTHING in comparison.

Neither were the '80s NYC places, like Area.

That 60 Minutes piece is one fantabulicious piece of 70s glam.

I came to NYC in 1982 so j never went to Studio 54. But I would agree it was in a class of its own. Yes I went to many of the others mentioned: Pyramid, Area, Palladium, World, Save the Robots, Danceteria, Saint, Mudd Club, Club 57. And they were great 'cause I was young and it was nyc.

But none came close to Studio, as it was known by those who went there.

But I sensed an era had passed before I got there. And era called the 70s - in NYC. A lot came together then that created the historic moment - the vibrations were still there and I felt them strongly coming right after it was over.

[quote]I wished I had been old enough to get into the 54 but I was a child back then.

Sweetie, YOU would have never gotten into 54.

Ah the velvet rope. The doorman. The lists. The thrill of getting in. The dejection of rejection.

It was so important then. I'm missing my ex now.

A former co-worker is or was a part owner of the champagne bar next door, Flutes.

How much HIV was transmitted in that place? Any guesses?

R50 Enough to kill a generation of slutty gays.

[quote]How much HIV was transmitted in that place? Any guesses?

More than enough.

One can be flip about the tragedy that followed but this was the decade of sexual liberation and coming out after Stonewall.

It made this website and its posters possible.

Vanity Fair did a story about the rise and fall of Studio 54 including the prison terms, Steve's death and Ian's life as a hoteliar.

I have a question.

Ian said after prison he could never own a liquor license.

Without a liquor license how can his hotels sell liquor in the bars or room service?

R53 Ohh give me a break. You sound exactly like one of those fucking crusty war veterans that demand worship for killing people and keeping our country safe when I never asked them to do fuck all. No R53 I'm not going to kiss your ass because you were a slut and 'revolutionised' humanity by being an Eldergay.

So don't. We don't need the likes of you R55. Your type doesn't give anything and have no talent or guts to contribute to anything. It doesn't stop the rest of us from doing something.

Wanna feed off that too? Sure go ahead. Plenty to go around. Your self centered ignorance of where you come from is reason enough to keep improving things.

Sure you don't believe it; your kind don't know people like us.

R56 Calm the fuck down Lulu, you're getting hysterical. Why do you take yourself so seriously on DL of all places. I'm not trying to stop you doing anything, just don't expect me to give a shit about it.

Maybe you should go buy a butt plug or something to calm your fraught nerves. You must be at that age where flying off the handle leads to a stroke, so just chill. 1, 2 , 3 breathe.

No shit expected from snide ignorant turds like you. That's all. Now crawl back in your slimy basement.

Did you ever go to The Sound Factory R27? I missed the Starck Club, but The Sound Factory was pretty awesome. My best memories (from what I remember!) of my dance club days.

[quote]One can be flip about the tragedy that followed but this was the decade of sexual liberation and coming out after Stonewall.

It sure was. And it was a time of great creativity. The hedonism was part of that.

The gay moralists of today are a sad lot. They have a lot in common with the Evangelicals.

Indeed.

Whatever we know as our gay self, identity and pride today, regardless of which generation we belong to, was largely forged in that period.

But we see the fight is not yet over. Self loathing still exists in many of us. The moralists express that.

[quote]But we see the fight is not yet over. Self loathing still exists in many of us. The moralists express that.

Moralists? So you mean a dead twenty year old that fucked anything that moved is a hero of gay rights as opposed to the healthy and alive fifty year old that has lived to see gay marriage is just self hating?

[quote]So you mean a dead twenty year old that fucked anything that moved...

The Church Lady clutching her pearls.

The Last Party

[quote]The Church Lady clutching her pearls.

That's the still living and healthy Church Lady clutching her pearls, to you Bitch.

R65 What you don't seem to get is that we're healthy because we had luck missing the bullet and because we practiced safe sex immediately after we were informed about how the virus was transmitted.

I'm as much of a slut as ever.

The pic at R29 -

I love seeing pics of Miss Elton John back in her "bi-sexual" days.

Mary, please.

R67 It was different time... Elton John was a major star with music that appealed to a broad range of the public. Not one major performer was fully out at the time.

Elton John certainly did his part in the ensuing years.

"Mary, please" to you.

Amanda Moore - Fashion Pack (Studio 54)

Was studio 54 one huge coke orgy, or just a place for celebrities to go and take whatever drugs or have sex with whoever they wanted in public without the press knowing?

If Charlie still posts here on DL, please post some of your old studio 54 stories. Is it true Liza got syphilis by being fucked up the ass by Ethel Merman's son, or from sucking Nureyev's cock?

R27 is right. The Starch club was fucking amazing. Ecstasy and cocaine everywhere.

[quote] If Charlie still posts here on DL, please post some of your old studio 54 stories. Is it true Liza got syphilis by being fucked up the ass by Ethel Merman's son, or from sucking Nureyev's cock?

Sad to say Charlie is no longer with us. He bored himself to death with his shop girl anecdotes. May he rest in piece! You’ll have to read the celeb bios from which his exclusive tidbits came, in order to enjoy that level of exclusive insight.

I'm surprised the original theater interior is as nice and as well-preserved (relatively speaking) as it is.

R27 and R72 please post more about the Starck club in Texas! I know MDMA or ecstasy was legal did you ever see any famous people dropping MDMA? Was MDA also openly sold as well?