Lost Gallo Opera House (and reborn as Studio 54)

Updated: Dec 3, 2023

Theaters in New York City have been built and leveled many times over its long history. Some theaters were saved from the wrecking ball by adapting to the current fashions of the day. The Gallo Opera House is one of those theaters. In its almost 100 years, it has transformed from an opera house to a playhouse, nightclub, WPA theater, CBS television studio, notorious disco night club, and then finally to a Broadway Theater.

Designed by architect Eugene De Rosa for Fortune Gallo, this theater was built in 1927. Fortune Gallo was not so fortunate as the opera house only lasted for two years. It was shuttered after the 1929 stock market crash and later reopened as the New Yorker Theatre.* This theater did not do any better than the opera house, so it changed hands and formats and continued to do so for over a decade. In 1942, CBS bought the theater after it had sat empty for a couple of years. CBS began using it as a radio and television studio calling it Studio 52. Many shows, commercials, and even a soap opera (opera!!) were produced here. Here's a piece of trivia for you Gen Xers...one of the shows that was filmed here was the children's show, Captain Kangaroo. The studio was used until 1976 when CBS moved most of its broadcast functions to other locations and sold it.**

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A year later, Studio 52 was transformed into the disco and nightclub, Studio 54. It instantaneously became the hottest nighttime party. Many famous people from dancers, artists, fashion designers, actors, models, and movie stars came to Studio 54 to see and be seen. The list is too great but here are a few: Liza Minnelli, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Truman Capote, a very underage Drew Barrymore, Bill Murray, David Bowie, and Leonard Bernstein. It is rumored that actor and very famous TV star at the time, Henry Winkler tried to pass through the velvet ropes but was turned away. The Fonz denied!

The exclusiveness and the mix of famous people with the huddled masses created a moment of bewitchment. The secret behind Studio 54 was a once-in-a-lifetime happenstance. It started at the door. Crowds were kept behind a velvet rope and doormen lifted it only for the famous, the outrageous, the beautiful, and the unusual. Who they let in at the door each night was what created the magic and the glamour. Everyone wanted in.*** Andy Warhol supposedly said, "The key to the success of Studio 54 is a dictatorship at the door and a democracy on the dance floor."

Alas, the party couldn't last. The owners, Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager were raking in millions in a week and not paying taxes. Not surprisingly, they were convicted of tax evasion and sent to jail for 13 months. Studio 54, the hottest nightclub in New York City and possibly the world, closed in February 1980.

But something that fabulous and scandalous couldn't stay closed for long. The building was leased in 1981 and reopened under new management. Unfortunately, the new Studio 54 could not recreate the magic of the old. Over the years, it went through different owners and venue names. In the mid-1990s, the theater was returned to a legitimate playhouse by the Roundabout Theatre Company. The theater's architectural detail that had been painted black or covered with plywood was restored. The first show was a revival of Cabaret, a musical about the happenings in a notorious nightclub, very appropriate! Other musicals that have graced the stage are Holiday Inn, Pal Joey, Kiss Me, Kate, and (hopefully in May 2021) the revival of the play Caroline, or Change.

With its colorful and fascinating history, this theater has made quite a transformation. Below are pictures of the Gallo Opera House, Studio 54 nightclub, and Studio 54 Broadway Theatre. You can see the arches in all three of the pictures. During the Studio 54 nightclub era, notice that the arches were painted and partially covered.