Studio 54 – Part 2

Among the many celebrities present during opening night, were Michael Jackson, Mick & Bianca Jagger, Rick James, Liza Minnelli, Jerry Hall, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Salvador Dali, Brooke Shields, Cher, Joan Collins, Martha Graham, Deborah Harry, Robin Leach, Donald & Ivana Trump, Rick Hilton, Kathy Richards. Some celebrities, including Warren Beatty, Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Henry Winkler, and Frank Sinatra were unable to get in, in part due to Studio 54's doorman. The nightclub held around 700 patrons who paid an $8 cover charge to get in each night.

Studio 54 was operated by the flamboyant, publicly visible Rubell and his retiring silent partner Schrager. Rubell became widely known for his door policy, mixing beautiful "nobodies" with glamorous celebrities. Alongside Rubell, doorman Marc Benecke became a fixture on the scene selecting and admitting people to the club. Rubell instructed Benecke to "cast a play" when selecting the perfect mixture of people to enter the club each night.

"Studio", as it came to be called, was notorious for the hedonism that occurred within it. The balconies were known for sexual encounters, and drug use was rampant. The wall behind the dance floor was decorated with a wall sculpture of a Man in the Moon that included an animated cocaine spoon. Above the balcony, there was a room known as “The Rubber Room.” All of its surfaces were lined with rubber, including the walls, so that everything could easily be wiped off. Event planner Robert Isabel 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.

In December of 1978 Rubell was quoted in the New York newspapers as saying the 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. After the arrests Rubell accused Jimmy Carter's White House Chief of Staff Hamilton Jordan of snorting cocaine in the basement. A grand jury met 19 times and interviewed 33 witnesses before concluding that Rubell's testimony was hearsay and not reliable enough to file charges.

Studio 54 closed with a final party called "The End of Modern-day Gomorrah", on 4 February 1980. Diana Ross, Ryan O'Neal, Mariel Hemingway, Jocelyn Wildenstein, Richard Gere, Jack Nicholson, Reggie Jackson, and Sylvester Stallone were among the guests that night. New York lawyer Gary Naftalis represented Schrager in the ensuing tax-evasion prosecution. After the nightclub's closing, cocaine and money were found in its walls. Schrager and Rubell were found guilty of tax evasion and spent 13 months in prison.

During 1985, heavy metal groups Slayer, Venom and Exodus filmed a video at Studio 54 called “Ultimate Revenge for Disco”. From 1981 until early 1993, the nightclub's lease was owned by CAT Entertainment Corp and known as The Ritz. During that period, the nightclub hosted occasional rock concerts and was 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. 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. The building, which is still frequently referred to as the Studio 54 building, houses a variety of tenants, among them a theater venue, offices, and an educational facility.

On August 15, 2011, Sirius XM Radio launched a 24/7 Disco channel based around the Studio 54 theme. On October 18, 2011, Sirius XM Radio held a special "One Night Only" party at the club's original location to promote the new channel. In order to win tickets, contestants had to call in to the station and share their memorable Studio 54 experiences. The club was decorated with both original and replica props to fully recreate the appearance of the club in its heyday. For the night, it featured the signature sun and "man on the moon" props as well as young, shirtless waiters, a "trademark" of Studio 54. Many celebrities such as Martha Stewart, Kevin Bacon, Cameron Diaz, Keith Richards, Donald Trump and Andy Cohen were spotted in the crowd, travelling through music...

Studio 54 – Part 1

Studio 54 was a highly popular discotheque, located at 254 West 54th Street in Manhattan, New York. In 1977 it became the legendary nightclub, Studio 54, and since November of 1998 it has been a venue for the Roundabout Theatre Company.

The building was originally the Gallo Opera House, built by Fortune Gallo in 1927 for his renowned San Carlo Opera Company. In 1943 CBS purchased the theatre, renaming it Studio 52. CBS named its studios in order of purchase. The number 52 was unrelated to the street it was located on, and during these years, CBS used the theater for radio broadcasts. In 1976 CBS moved most of its broadcast functions to the Ed Sullivan Theater and the CBS Broadcast Center, and sold Studio 52. The Ed Sullivan Theater once had access to Studio 52 through an access door, which was cinder-blocked during the theater's 1993 renovation for Late Show with David Letterman. 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.

Carmen D'Alessio, a public relations agent for Valentino, encouraged Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager, who were operating the Enchanted Garden in Queens, to buy the theatre. She introduced Rubell and Schrager to many of the socially prominent figures who later became regulars at Studio 54. D'Alessio helped arrange a pre-opening dinner with Andy Warhol, Halston, and Calvin Klein. In 1977 the building was purchased and renamed Studio 54, for its street address, 254 West 54th Street, between Broadway and Eighth Avenue.

The nightclub was founded by four equal partners. Steven Rubell, Ian Schrager, Tim Savage, and Jack Dushey. They operated the company as Broadway Catering Corp. Another partner, Richard DeCourcey, was present until September 1977. It took almost a year to transform the space into a nightclub, and costs totaled between $600.000 and $700.000 when the renovations were complete. Rubell and Schrager considered it as one bet, they had to win, and hired some of the best designers around to undertake the project. They converted what was formerly the theater’s stage into a dance floor. They recreated the feeling of being on stage by placing spot lights around the dance floor and of course, a sparkling disco ball hung over center stage. Studio 54 became known for having the best lights and sound system in the entire city.

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...