Area (nightclub)

Area was a themed nightclub that operated from 1983 to 1987 at 157 Hudson Street in Manhattan, New York City.[1] The club was known for its unusual invitations.[2]

The club was founded by brothers Eric Goode and Christopher Goode, Shawn Hausman and Darius Azari. The brick building housing Area was originally built in 1866 to house the stables of American Express.[3]

Area was the first nightclub using themed decors that on average changed every six weeks. Some of the themes were "art", "suburbia", and "disco". The art department was headed by Eric and Jennifer Goode, Serge Becker, and performance and visual artists. The venue was open from Wednesday to Saturday, 11 pm till 4 am, with Wednesday nights reserved to special parties for Brian Ferry, Interview Magazine, as well as celebrity birthday parties. The life of the club is chronicled in the book Area: 1983-1987 by Eric and Jennifer Goode.[4]

Area attracted many celebrities. Writing for Details was Stephen Saben and Michael Musto, writing for The Village Voice magazine, these tabloids chronicled the doings there, and looked back on the phenomenon in Musto's book, Downtown.[5]

There are several mentions of Area in Andy Warhol's diaries.[6][7] Ben Buchanan was the official photographer for the club and was there most nights documenting the scene. These photos were in Details every month and often in the New York Post and Daily News.

In February 1985, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Jonathan Larson conceived of his unpublished musical Superbia while in Area's projectionist's booth.

Demise

Of the "three hot clubs" in lower Manhattan in the 1980s—Area, Limelight, and Danceteria - Area "[died] a natural death", Limelight survived with a less artistic clientele, and Danceteria "[gave] way to expensive office space".[8]

After gentrification of the neighborhood, the building was converted by Kevin Kennon Architects to multifamily residential use, with terraced penthouses atop the existing structure.[9]

References
  1. O'Brien, Glenn: "Culture Club", T: The New York Times Style Magazine, August 27, 2006.
  2. Kornbluth, Jesse: "Inside Area: The Wizardry of New York's Hottest Club", New York Magazine, pp. 32-41, March 11, 1985.
  3. Lewine, Edward (May 25, 1997). "Is Downtown Dead?". The New York Times.
  4. “The Club Beat” New York Magazine, July 2–9, 1984, pp. 70-76.
  5. Musto, Michael (1986). Downtown. Knopf. ISBN 978-0394742854.
  6. Warhol, Andy; Hackett, Pat (ed.), The Andy Warhol Diaries. New York: Warner Books, 1989: 633.
  7. Socolov, Emily (1985). Area: The Human Form in Tableaux (MA Thesis). New York: New York University.
  8. Miller, Daniel (2001). Consumption: Critical Concepts in the Social Sciences. Taylor & Francis. p. 447. ISBN 978-0-415-24269-1. ISBN 9780415242691.
  9. McFarlane, Skye H. (October 13, 2006). "Building lofts where clubbers and horses once roamed". New York: Downtown Express.

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