AFTR/IMG · ROOM · LE-JARDIN · CONF NEEDS REVIEW
Le Jardin
Overview
The basement discotheque of the Hotel Diplomat where owner John Addison and DJ Bobby Guttadaro opened New York's first openly commercial gay disco on June 13, 1973, the room Studio 54's founders studied.
Le Jardin opened June 13, 1973, in the Hotel Diplomat at 110 West 43rd Street (some sources give 108 West 43rd, needs review), created by owner John Addison with DJ Bobby Guttadaro ('Bobby DJ') anchoring the booth. Guttadaro had been nicknamed 'Bobby DJ' by promoter Bob Casey because patrons couldn't pronounce his surname. The club was unambiguously gay-oriented from the start, a step above the private loft parties of David Mancuso and Nicky Siano by operating as an openly commercial discotheque, with a mixed gay, bisexual, and fashion crowd that included celebrities. Bob Casey, who recalled Le Jardin as 'where disco came above ground,' promoted and worked the room. Diana Ross attended an early party, helping cement the club's visibility and pushing 'discotheque' into mainstream press. Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager later cited Le Jardin as one of the models for Studio 54. The venue reportedly occupied a basement ballroom in the Diplomat, by then a deteriorating midtown hotel that had also hosted New York Dolls concerts on a rooftop space. Le Jardin closed around 1976 as the disco era moved into its mass-market phase.
Oral histories & archival media
Archive plates
Plates fill in as scans clear rights
Sonic profile
Cultural role
DJs, promoters & people
John Addison
Owner · Confirmed as owner/creator; opened Le Jardin June 13, 1973. (The seed record incorrectly credited Bob Casey as opener, Casey was a promoter/figure.)
Bobby Guttadaro
Resident DJ · Known as 'Bobby DJ'; the nickname coined by Bob Casey because patrons couldn't pronounce 'Guttadaro.'
Bob Casey
Promoter · Promoter and key figure; recalled Le Jardin as where 'disco came above ground'; coined Bobby Guttadaro's DJ name.
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