The Limelight

The Limelight is the name of a string of different nightclubs that were owned and operated by Peter Gatien: in Atlanta, Chicago, Hollywood, Florida, New York, and London.

History

The first Limelight was opened in Hollywood, Florida in the 70s. When it burned to the ground in the late 70s, Peter Gatien turned to Atlanta for his next incarnation of Limelight. The next "Limelight" (nicknamed Slimelight) was opened in Atlanta, Georgia in February 1980. It was housed in a strip mall in the former home of the Harlequin Dinner Theatre. In 1983, Gatien moved to New York to open another Limelight club, and his brother Maurice was given the reins of the Atlanta club. Maurice reportedly had less talent for the nightclub world than Peter. "Peter was the brains behind the operation," says house photographer and publicist Guy D'Alema. "Maurice ... didn't want to spend a dime and didn't have a creative bone in his body." The club was located next to a 24-hour Kroger grocery store, which became known, affectionately, as "Disco Kroger."

The Limelight in Chicago was housed in the former home of the Chicago Historical Society, the building itself being a historical structure. While short-lived as a club under the Limelight moniker, it exists to this day as a nightclub (presently the location of both Excalibur & Vision nightclubs). The Limelight, London, was located in a former Welsh Presbyterian church that dates back to 1754 on Shaftesbury Avenue, just off Cambridge Circus. The club was owned by Peter Gatien and was popular in the 1980s. The club's decline in popularity led to its closure and takeover in 2003 by Australian pub chain 'The Walkabout' who have converted it into a sports bar.

The Limelight in New York, which was owned by Peter Gatien and designed by Ari Bahat, opened in November 1983. It was located in a former church on Sixth Avenue in an area once known as The Ladies' Mile, Manhattan, located east of Chelsea, and originally started as a disco music and rock music club. In the 1990s, it became a prominent place to hear techno, goth, and industrial music, and to obtain recreational drugs. It hit the news in 1996 when club and party promoter Michael Alig was arrested and later convicted for the killing and dismemberment of Angel Melendez, a Limelight-based drug dealer. The 2003 film Party Monster, starring Macaulay Culkin and Seth Green, was based on this event. The Limelight was closed by the police, but subsequently reopened several times during the 1990s. In September 2003, it reopened under the name "Avalon." While Gatien's Limelight is no longer at the center of New York nightlife, many of the cadre of club kids continue to be quite active. Richie Rich, Kenny Kenny, Rik Parker, Ernesto Guzman, Amanda Lepore, Sophia Lamar, and many others from the Limelight, Twilo, and Tunnel era can be found hosting and promoting top parties in Manhattan.

References

*Frank Owen, 2003 "Clubland: The Fabulous Rise and Murderous Fall of Club Culture", St. Martin's Press, ISBN 0-312-28766-6 (UK title "Clubland Confidential", Ebury Press)
* [http://books.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4700219-99947,00.html Review of Frank Owen's, "Clubland Confidential" in the UK "Guardian"]
* [http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/2003-04-23/feature.html Article from "Creative Loafing", a local independent Atlanta newspaper, about famous nightclubs that were in Atlanta at different points in time.]

External links

*http://www.nycavalonnightclub.com The Official Avalon Nightclub in New York City Website
*http://www.excaliburchicago.com Excalibur Nightclub in Chicago
*http://www.visionnightclub.com Vision Nightclub in Chicago