Address: 254 West 54th Street
City: New York City
Owned by: Roundabout Theatre Company
-Highly popular discotheque from 1977-1991.
Early Years
-Was originally the Gallo Opera House, built by Fortune Gallo in 1927 for his San Carlo Opera Company.
-In 1937, the Federal Theatre Project leased it for it's productions and changed the name to the Federal Music Theatre.
CBS Studio 52
-In 1943, CBS Radio bought the theatre to use it, renaming it Studio 52. They used this theatre for radio broadcasts.
-From the 1940s-1970s, they used the location for radio broadcasts and TV shows, such as:
- What's My Line?
- The $64,000 Question
- Password
- To Tell the Truth
- Beat the Clock
- The Jack Benny Show
- I've Got a Secret
- Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour
- Captain Kangaroo
-In 1976, CBS moved most of it's broadcasts to the Ed Sullivan Theatre.
Nightclub era
-When CBS began marketing the building in 1976, various interests in art and fashion would show it being turned into a nightclub.
-In 1977, Studio 54 was transformed into a nightclub by Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager. Took only 6 weeks and $400,000 to transform the once theatre into a hip nightclub
-Rubell and Schrager hired Ron Doud as interior designer and Brian Thompson as lighting designer. Jules Fisher and Paul Marantz, 2 well known Broadway theatrical set designers, helped convert the theatre into a dance floor and created moveable, theatrical sets and lights using the original theatrical fly rails.
-Within a month of it opening, it closed because it was selling liquor without a license.
The Scene
-Among the many celebs to visit the club, some included:
Michael Jackson
Mick and Bianca Jagger
Rick James
Liza Minelli
Jerry Hall
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Cher
Deborah Harry
Famous celebs included
Diane Keaton
Frank Sinatra
Warren Beatty
Woody Allen
Henry Winkler
-Studio 54 was known for mixing normal people with celebrities.
-Studio 54 closed on February 4, 1980 with a big final party. Among the guests were Sylvester Stallone, Richard Gere, Jack Nicholson, Reggie Jackson, where Diana Ross serenaded the guests
Studio 54 Radio
-On August 15, 2011, Sirius XM Radio launched a 24/7 Disco channel based on 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, callers had to call into the station and share their memorable Studio 54 experiences. For the night, it featured the signature sun and "man on the moon" props, along with shirtless waiters. The event featured many of the original staff
-And also in the crowd were quite a few celebs, such as:
-Cameron Diaz
-Keith Richards
-Kevin Bacon
