Studio 54 Theater

Studio 54 Theater

The building that now houses the Studio 54 Theater has changed owners and names as many times as Henry VIII changed spouses. The edifice was built in 1927, at the height of the roaring 20’s, and became known as the New York Theater Company. During the depression, the building changed owners multiple times, each time opening as a different type of theater with a new name. In the 1940’s, CBS began to use the space as a radio studio and later a television studio when TV became popular in the 1950’s. In 1977, the building was purchased by two enterprising young nightlife impresarios, Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager. During the late 70’s, Studio 54 represented everything fabulous and decadent about the disco era. Everyone who was anyone could be scene nightly at Studio 54, engaging in a slew of lascivious and illicit acts involving drugs and sex. The most famous celebrities of the time were regulars at the garish disco and it became the most famous and exclusive club on the planet. Unfortunately for Rubell and Schrager, the magic ended when the Feds arrested the tandem for skimming millions of dollars off the operation. After the nightclub era, the space switched back to its roots as a theater.