Studio 54 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Studio 54

Gallo Opera House (1927) Casino de Paree (1933) WPA Federal Music Theatre (1937) New Yorker Theatre (1939) CBS Studio 52 (1942)
Address	254 West 54th Street Manhattan, New York City
Coordinates	40°45′51.7″N 73°59′01.6″W / 40.764361°N 73.983778°W / 40.764361; -73.983778
Public transit	New York City Subway: 50th Street/Eighth Avenue (C and ​E) 50th Street/Broadway (1) Seventh Avenue/53rd Street (B, ​D​, and E) 57th Street–Seventh Avenue (N Q R W)
Owner	Roundabout Theatre Company
Type	Broadway
Capacity	1,006 (519 orchestra/487 mezzanine)
Construction
Opened	1927
Architect	Eugene De Rosa

Studio 54 is a famous building in New York City. It's located on 54th Street in Manhattan. This building has had many lives! It started as an opera house, then became a TV studio, a world-famous nightclub, and is now a Broadway theatre.

In 1977, two friends, Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager, opened a nightclub there. They kept some of the old TV and theater sets. The club became super famous for its celebrity guests and its special entry rules. People had to look stylish to get in! The nightclub closed in 1980 because its owners had financial problems with the government.

Since 1998, the building has been home to the Roundabout Theatre Company. They use it to put on amazing Broadway shows. There's also a separate restaurant and club called Feinstein's/54 Below in the basement. In 2020, Studio 54 even started its own music label and radio station!

The Beginning: From Opera to TV Studio

Early Days as an Opera House

WPA Theatre of Music

The building was designed by a famous architect named Eugene De Rosa. It opened in 1927 as the Gallo Opera House, named after its owner, Fortune Gallo. The original plan was for a tall office building with a three-story opera house inside. The inside was designed with beautiful gold, blue, and rose colors.

The opera house opened on November 8, 1927, with a big show called La bohème. But it only lasted for three weeks. The Gallo Opera House struggled to attract enough people and closed after just two years.

It reopened under new names like The New Yorker, but it still had trouble finding an audience. In 1937, it became the WPA Federal Music Theatre. Later, in 1939, it was again called the New Yorker Theatre. It hosted an all-Black version of The Swing Mikado for two months. The last show at the New Yorker Theatre ended in May 1940, and the building was empty for three years.

Becoming CBS Studio 52

In 1943, a big TV company called CBS bought the theater. They renamed it Studio 52. CBS named its studios in the order they bought them, so the number 52 had nothing to do with the street number. From the 1940s to the mid-1970s, CBS used it as a studio for both radio and TV shows.

Many famous shows were filmed here, like What's My Line?, The $64,000 Question, Password, To Tell the Truth, and Captain Kangaroo. The TV show Love of Life was also made here until 1975.

In 1976, CBS moved most of its TV shows to other locations and sold Studio 52.

The Famous Nightclub Era

Opening of Studio 54

When CBS sold the building in 1976, many people wanted to turn it into a nightclub. In 1977, Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager transformed the old theater into a nightclub called Studio 54. It only took them six weeks and cost $400,000 to get it ready! The grand opening was on April 26. They hired talented designers to create a unique look and amazing lighting for the dance floor. The lights could move and change, making the club feel different all the time.

Soon after opening, the club had a temporary problem with its license to sell drinks. For a short time, they could only serve juice and soda. They were waiting for their full license to be approved.

The Scene at Studio 54 (1977–1979)

Studio 54 was known for its amazing parties. For one New Year's Eve party, four tons of glitter were dumped on the floor! It was like "standing on stardust," and people found glitter on their clothes for months afterward.

Famous Visitors

Other Interesting People at the Club

• Actor Al Corley worked as a doorman.
• Actor Alec Baldwin was a waiter for two months.
• Sally Lippman, known as "Disco Sally," was a 77-year-old who loved to dance there.
• The band Chic wrote their hit song "Le Freak" after they couldn't get into the club one New Year's Eve, even though they were invited!

The Club's First Closing

In December 1978, the owners faced serious financial problems with the government. Because of these issues, Studio 54 had to close.

The club had a final party on February 2–3, 1980. Diana Ross and Liza Minnelli sang for the owners. Many famous guests were there, including Ryan O'Neal, Farrah Fawcett, Richard Gere, and Jack Nicholson.

Studio 54 Reopens and Changes (1981–1994)

In August 1981, the building was sold to Philip Pilevsky. Later that year, it was sold again to Mark Fleischman and Stanley G. Tate. Studio 54 reopened in September 1981. Mark Fleischman wrote a book about his time as the owner.

Famous doorman Haoui Montaug worked at Studio 54. Even a young Drew Barrymore visited the club with her mother when she was nine years old.

The Ritz and Cabaret Royale

From 1981 to April 1986, Mark Fleischman owned Studio 54. In 1989, another nightclub called The Ritz moved into the building. It was sometimes called The New Ritz. This club mainly hosted new wave, punk, and heavy metal bands.

In 1993, the club changed hands again and was renovated. It reopened in January 1994 as "Cabaret Royale at Studio 54."

Later, the building faced more financial challenges and was sold again in 1994 to Allied Partners. They tried to bring back some of the original look of the building. The nightclub reopened with live concerts by disco stars like Gloria Gaynor. The building went through more changes and plans, but none of them lasted.

A New Chapter: A Broadway Theater (Mid-1990s–Present)

Studio 54, July 2019

Since 1998, the building has been used by the Roundabout Theatre Company, a non-profit group that puts on Broadway shows. Studio 54 is one of three Broadway theaters they operate. It has 1,006 seats on two levels. When it became a theater, the nightclub tables were replaced with sloped seating so everyone could see the stage better. There's also an exhibit in the lobby about the current show.

Theater History

In July 1998, a construction problem blocked access to another theater where the musical Cabaret was playing. To keep the show going, the Roundabout Theatre Company decided to move it to Studio 54. The director thought Studio 54's old look would be perfect for the show. The company spent $1.7 million to get Studio 54 ready. Cabaret moved there in November 1998 and ran until January 2003.

Roundabout bought the Studio 54 building in 2003. After Cabaret closed, Studio 54 started hosting bigger shows that wouldn't fit in Roundabout's other theaters. It has hosted many musicals and plays.

In 2004, the musical Assassins was the first new show at Studio 54. After this and another musical, a theater historian said that Studio 54 was finally a true Broadway theater, almost 80 years after it first opened! The theater had some updates in 2005, including new seating and an exhibit area.

The theater closed on March 12, 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It reopened on October 8, 2021, with performances of Caroline, or Change.

Important Shows at Studio 54

Upstairs at Studio 54

The second floor of the theater used to have a smaller area called Upstairs at Studio 54. It was used for special events and performances on nights when there were no plays. Famous DJs and singers performed there.

Other Uses of the Building

The building, still often called the Studio 54 building, has other tenants too. It houses offices and a school called Mandl School, the College of Allied Health. In 1965, a record company called Scepter Records had offices and a recording studio here. The famous album The Velvet Underground & Nico was recorded there in 1966.

Studio 54 Music

In 2020, Studio 54 Music started. It's a record label and a radio station on Sirius XM called Studio 54 Radio. Their first music release was Night Magic Vol. 1, which features disco songs from the club's early days.

How Studio 54 Influenced Culture

Studio 54 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas

In the late 1970s, Studio 54 was one of the most famous nightclubs in the world. It helped make disco music and nightclub culture popular. Many places, like in Las Vegas, have opened with the Studio 54 name. Also, many movies, songs, and fashion brands have been inspired by the club.

Here are some examples:

• A music album called A Night at Studio 54 was released in 1979. It sold almost a million copies.
• A movie about the disco, 54, came out in 1998.
• In 2018, a documentary film called Studio 54 was released. It showed never-before-seen videos of the club and interviews with one of its founders.
• In 2019, fashion and makeup brands like Calvin Klein and NARS Cosmetics created collections inspired by the club's glamorous style.
• In 2020, singer Dua Lipa performed an online concert called Studio 2054, inspired by Studio 54.
• In 2021, it was announced that a TV show called American Crime Story would have a season focused on the club.

Other places have been compared to Studio 54. A fashion shop called Fiorucci in New York was known as the "daytime Studio 54." The Mutiny Hotel in Miami was also described as "Miami's Studio 54" in the late 1970s.

See also

In Spanish: Studio 54 para niños