The Limelight
656 6th Ave, New York, NY 10011
Located at Sixth Avenue and West 20th Street in Chelsea, this building can’t help but stand out. Surrounded by taller buildings that all look relatively similar to each other, this one jumps out at you (and sort of not in a good way. It’s almost jarring.) At first glance, you’d think “hey look at that fanciful church / medieval times / Dr. Strange's secret lair”. But then you start to notice that there are a lot of signs, outdoor seating, and string lights. So wtf is actually going on here? Well buckle up pals and get ready for a trip back to 1852.
Back in the yee old times, this was once the Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion. Another Gothic Revival style building (friends with Liberty Tower (week 9) & St. Patrick’s Cathedral (week 1)), but this time make it brownstone! When this church was originally built, it was considered to be quite the boujee area & home to the wealthiest New Yorkers (they probably had like 10 whole dollars in the bank). The architect for this church also designed Trinity Church on Wall Street which is right next door to my dentist! Neato!
After WW2, the hype around this neighborhood (and religion tbh) died down. It became a pretty rough and tumble area, so the parish decided to deconsecrate and sell the building to a drug rehabilitation program (this will be ironic later). Before this, though, the building was designated as an official New York landmark, meaning that the structure will have to remain relatively unchanged for ~all of time~. This answers my huge question as to why this building is still there because I really can’t describe how much this building sticks out. It’s sort of like the house from Up but make it haunted. Not that I’m against funky buildings, it’s just surprising to find one in the wild like this.
Okay, back to the plot: the drug rehabilitation program didn't last long and the building was then sold to Peter Gatien, a club owner & party promoter. Luckily, the building already had a built-in clientbase for this. (wowwww sara that’s so insensitive #CancelSara) (but not really tho) (please don’t)
Gatien was a big fan of art and architecture (same bestie) and turning a church into a nightclub certainly made a statement. The club was very successful and became a cultural landmark. However, the place slowly turned into a drug hub (primarily ecstasy and heroin). An alleged quote from Gatien: “‘This cannot go on anymore, this is going to end really badly. This was a place where drag queens were shoving Christmas lights up their butt, people were having sex all over the place, it’s like the last days of the Roman Empire." I really couldn’t have said it better myself tbh.
Things officially got out of hand in 1996 when Michael Alig (after knowing what he did, his wikipedia picture is everything) murdered and dismembered Andre “Angel” Melendez in a confrontation over a drug debt. They both were a part of the personality group, Club Kids. This group has been described as "terminally superficial, they have dubious aesthetic values, and are master manipulators, exploiters, and, thank God, partiers." Anyways, the mayor at the time (Rudy Guiliani) hated two things 1) drugs and 2) crime. (pls click that link) He made it his mission to crack down whatever shady shit was happening at the Limelight. The club had several closures from the city & despite multiple attempts at reopening, Gatien permanently closed the club in 2007.
The rest of this building’s history is a slew of failed businesses and a bangin’ pizza place. It was briefly a boutique marketplace, then a gym, and then a location for the famous pizza joint, Grimaldi’s. This building can’t seem to escape drama, however. While on the phone with my inside source, Kerstin, she let me know that this particular location of Grimaldi’s has been seized multiple times for tax evasion. Direct quote: “It was seized and then… I guess they figured it out.” Phew! What a twist! She had me worried there for a second.
I’m having a hard time not finding the irony in this space going from a drug rehab center to a drug-centric nightclub. Then going from a gym to a pizza place. Maybe this space is meant to inspire you to reinvent yourself. Maybe this place is… for magic. Heartbreak feels good in a place like this.
why does james look so uncomfortable? is he the one doing the tax evasion?
Fun Facts
The opening night of Limelight (1983) was hosted by Andy Warhol. Slay.
The building is actually split up between two main spaces- the main church and the chapel. The chapel was known as the “Shampoo Room” during the Limelight era due to it being home to many, many foam parties. Now, it is a dim sum restaurant called Jue Lan Club.
Since this December, there have been talks of this building becoming an off-Broadway theater. That makes my AMC Nicole Kidman joke even better now. Here are a collection of headlines & snippets from various articles about this place that I find funny:
Limelight Marketplace has given new meaning to the words “mass merchandising.”
“From house of worship to house of sin”
The building is often identified by locals and tour guides as one of New York’s cursed spaces.
I broke my laptop (not by doing something stupid like spilling a cup of water on it or anything…) so if we could all collectively pour one out for it, (painfully ironic) I’d greatly appreciate it.
Anyway, see you next week!! Toodeloo!
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