Palladium

Overview

The nightclub Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager opened inside a former movie palace in 1985, with an interior by Arata Isozaki, commissioned works by Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kenny Scharf and Francesco Clemente, and Junior Vasquez's Arena, billed as 'The Gay Man's Pleasure Dome'.

The Palladium occupied a building at 126 East 14th Street that opened in the 1920s as the Academy of Music (1926 per Village Preservation; 1927 per Wikipedia and Clio, which name Thomas W. Lamb as architect). It was renamed in September 1976 and reopened as a music venue, with The Band as the opening-night act (Wikipedia; Village Preservation). Paul Simonon of the Clash smashed his bass there in September 1979 for the London Calling cover (Wikipedia; Village Preservation). Wikipedia says business had declined rapidly by 1981 and records a Motörhead show there on May 14, 1982. Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager (convicted of federal tax evasion over Studio 54 in 1980 and released from prison in 1981) took over the building and brought in the Japanese architect Arata Isozaki to redesign the interior (Wikipedia; ArchDaily; Clio). Village Preservation describes a modern structure with a dance floor and balconies added inside the original shell, with the 1920s ceiling details retained; Wikipedia describes seven stories of nightclub rooms. Wikipedia lists commissioned works by Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kenny Scharf and Francesco Clemente. Village Preservation describes a Haring mural above the dance floor, a Basquiat mural behind one of the bars, and a Clemente fresco above the staircase. Wikipedia says Andy Warhol designed the complimentary drink tickets. The club opened in May 1985 (Wikipedia; ArchDaily), and Warhol, Haring and Halston attended (Village Preservation). Peter Gatien owned and operated the club from 1992 until 1997 (Wikipedia; Clio), and also owned Club USA, Limelight and Tunnel. Junior Vasquez's Arena began in September 1996 and was billed as 'The Gay Man's Pleasure Dome' (Wikipedia; Warehouse Magazine). Sources differ on when Arena ended: Wikipedia's Palladium entry says September 1997, Wikipedia's Junior Vasquez entry says 1996-1997, and Warehouse Magazine gives September 1996 and September 1998; Wikipedia says the club closed in August 1997. Warehouse Magazine names Kevin Aviance, Mother Juan Aviance and the House of Xtravaganza at the final Runway session, and describes 'marathon 12 hour sets' by Vasquez. Wikipedia's Junior Vasquez entry says his suspended booth was custom designed by Dolce & Gabbana. Red Bull Music Academy Daily attributes the decline of Manhattan's big-room clubs partly to Mayor Giuliani's crackdown; it does not tie that to the Palladium specifically. The club closed in 1997 (Wikipedia; Clio; NYU News). Wikipedia says NYU bought the building; Village Preservation says it was sold in 1997 to a real estate developer. Wikipedia and NYU News date the demolition to 1998. A Sotheby's lot note for Francesco Clemente's Palladium Bestiario V (2021) says that after New York University bought the Palladium in 1997, agreements were made to remove Clemente's work and divide it into several individual works; what became of the Haring, Basquiat and Scharf works is not confirmed in the sources read. The site is now Palladium Hall, an NYU residence hall that Wikipedia and Village Preservation describe as twelve stories (a 1998 New York Times headline cited by Wikipedia says 16-story), housing roughly 960 students (Wikipedia). Village Preservation says the dormitory retains no visual reference to the club. Arata Isozaki received the Pritzker Prize in 2019 and died on December 28, 2022 (Wikipedia, Arata Isozaki). Domus republished its 1985 presentation of the club (Domus no. 666, November 1985, text by Arata Isozaki) in its online archive on 23 March 2023; Isozaki's text says works by Francesco Clemente, Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Kenny Scharf were inlaid within the old and new structures, and the archive introduction says the club lasted until 1998, replaced by an NYU student residence. ArchDaily (March 7, 2019) presents Timothy Hursley's photographs of the interior.