Still In The Limelight

The first time I ever went to this church in New York City, it was 1985 and I was 18 years old. I remember it well because it was the first nightclub I went to in New York City. Yes, I said nightclub.

This church, whose cornerstone was laid at West 20th Street and 6th Avenue in 1844 over one hundred and forty-one years before, had been converted into a club called The Limelight in 1983 and was the first place my cousin Ro took me to make my debut (underage, no less) to the club scene in New York City, dancing to disco and club music till the wee hours of the morning.

Other clubs I remember vividly are the Palladium and Tunnel, which was a nightclub housed in an old railroad freight terminal. The dance floor was sunken, in the area where the train tracks had once been and there were catwalks on each side where people could stand and look down into the dance floor area.

I think The Limelight was one of the more unique places I'd been - the dance floor was ringed by church pews and the stained glass windows were lit and clearly visible even in the low lighting of the club. I remember the hallway to the ladie's room was dark and lined with lit candles. Creepy. It was an extremely popular club at the time and my cousin's boyfriend even worked there as a bouncer for a while - with Chazz Palminteri who was also a bouncer!

Those clubs are closed now, but I do know that The Limelight is now a retail space. I haven't been inside, but from what I've read and the pictures I've seen, the interior is still very unique.

I guess it's not easy to make a church look less like a church.


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2011: Listen Up!
2010: Spread Sunshine All Over The Place
2009: Cows, Coffee, And BJ’s
2008: Lining Up For Lobster Season
2007: Worth Every Penny
2006: Everybody Is Everything
2005: Stuck In A Southern Vortex