Monday, March 11, 2019

The Rise And Fall Of The Legendary NYC Nightclub Studio 54: "The Party Of Your Life"

One of the things I was dying to do while I was in New York City was to photograph the exterior of what was once the legendary disco nightclub, Studio 54.

I was living in New York when Studio 54 opened, yet never actually went inside. I kept hearing about how fabulous and popular it was. But being someone who was not into the "nightclub scene" at that time, I really had no interest. Besides, you couldn't just walk into Studio 54. Not only did you have to wait in line (sometimes for hours), but you also had to be selected by the doorman because the club had a different party theme each night. And if you didn't fit the theme, you didn't get in. Which made most people want to get in even more.

However, approximately eight years ago, I began reading books and watching documentaries about the history of Studio 54 and became thoroughly intrigued by all the decadence and debauchery that went on inside the club. Yowza!

Allow me to say that although I've never been a party animal, promiscuous, into drugs, or drinking to the point of being totally inebriated, that doesn't mean I'm not curious to know about people who are. That's one of the reasons I love New York. It's a city of extremes. But that doesn't mean you have to indulge in everything. You can simply choose to observe it.

The rise of Studio 54:

In 1977, the CBS television studio, located on 254 West 54th Street, was transformed into the nightclub Studio 54 by owners Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager. It took only six weeks to transform the studio into a nightclub and cost $400,000 before its grand opening on April 26 and immediately became the epicenter of nightlife in New York City.

It was a club in which anything went.

Studio 54 was one big free-for-all in which it didn't matter what you were into, you were free to express it.

It didn't matter if you were straight, gay, or bisexual. It didn't matter if you were a man, woman, trans, or a drag queen. Young or old. The club embraced diversity and sexuality.

It didn't matter if you were a celebrity or a civilian. It was a place where everyone could come together and party.

It didn't matter if you drank, smoked pot, snorted cocaine, or dropped Quaalude's. All of those things were present and used.

It was a place of abandonment, freedom, and excess to the max. Where sex was as close as the nearest bathroom. And drugs were handed out like party favors.

It was once described as, "...a non-stop Bacchanalia."

The fall of Studio 54:

In 1978, Steve Rubell made a cocky remark to the press: “What the IRS doesn't know won't hurt them. Only the Mafia makes more money than Studio 54." Apparently, Rubell and Schrager had been keeping vast sums of cash in Hefty garbage bags and stowing them in the ceiling. Turns out, they had only paid $8,000 in taxes since they opened, yet were making more than $75,000 per night.

Shortly thereafter, the nightclub was raided by IRS agents and Rubell and Schrager were arrested for skimming $2.5 million. In November of 1979 they pled guilty to income-tax evasion. Judge Richard Owen shocked the court by imposing the maximum penalty: 3 1/2 years (reduced to 13 months) in prison and $20,000 in fines. They sold the club a short time after being released in January 1981.

However, Studio 54 never regained its popularity as it had in those first thee years.

Eventually, Rubell and Schrager got into the hotel business - buying and restoring old hotels into luxury hotels. They were extremely successful.

In 1989, Steve Rubell (aged 45) passed away. Ian Schrager still owns and operates hotels.

Here are some photographs of Studio 54 in its historical heyday...

Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager
(college friends from Brooklyn)

*above and below photographs*

This is what it looked like on a normal night with crowds waiting to get in.

Steve Rubell at the front door of Studio 54. He ruled the velvet ropes with an iron fist to achieve the perfect blend of guests for his nightly party themes, selecting members of the crowd for admittance. “It’s like mixing a salad,” he explained, “or casting a play.”

*above and below photographs*

Studio 54 dance floor

Below are some of the celebrities who partied at Studio 54 --

See if you can recognize any of them...

I took these next several photographs to show you what Studio 54 looks like today.
It is currently called, Roundabout Theatre Company @ Studio 54

Above and below photographs are the original Studio 54 entrance doors which, to this day, have been preserved. I got such an incredible feeling as I looked at these doors and touched the brass handles; thinking of all the people who walked through them each night, during those short but legendary 33 months...