April 26, 2023 – Studio 54

On this day in 1977, the iconic Studio 54 opened! That night, a crowd of 4,000 people showed up to party and dance, with hundreds of people lined up down the street with the hopes of entering. The building was originally an opera house when it opened in 1927. Starting in 1942, the space was used by CBS as a radio and TV studio. Shows like What’s My Line, The Jack Benny Show, and Captain Kangaroo were hosted there. Most of the operations were moved out by 1976 and the theater was put up for sale. The people behind Studio 54 were former roommates at Syracuse University, Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager. A public-relations entrepreneur named Carmen D’Alessio with a lot of famous contacts helped fill the club with celebrities like Bianca Jagger, Andy Warhol, and Liza Minelli. The month after it opened, Studio 54 was serving an average of 2,000 guests per night, and it made $7 million its first year. The success was short-lived, however. Studio 54 closed in early 1980 after the owners were arrested for tax evasion. Today, the space is used by the Roundabout Theatre Company which stages Broadway musicals and plays. Learn more here.