Roseland Ballroom
Encyclopedia
The Roseland Ballroom is a multi-purpose hall, in a converted ice skating
rink, with a colorful ballroom dancing pedigree, in New York City
's theatre district
, on West 52nd Street
.
The venue, according to its website, can accommodate 3,200 standing (with an additional 300 upstairs), 2,500 for a dance party, between 1,500 and 1,800 in theatre style, and 800-1,000 for a sit-down dinner.
The quirky venue has hosted everything, from a Hillary Clinton birthday party, to annual gay circuit parties
, to movie premieres, to musical performances from all genres.
The rear of the venue faces West 53rd Street
and the Ed Sullivan Theater
. It is seen virtually every time that comedian David Letterman
has outside antics during taping of the Late Show with David Letterman
beside his theater (prompting various attempts to paint the industrial-looking wall to make it look better on national television).
in 1917 by Louis Brecker with financing by Frank Yuengling of the D. G. Yuengling & Son
beer family.
In 1919, they moved the venue to 1658 Broadway
at 51st Street
in New York. It was a "whites only" dance club called the "home of refined dancing", famed for the big band
groups that played there, starting with Sam Lanin
and his Ipana Troubadours. Couples danced the jitterbug, Lindy Hop
, and Charleston
under the Roseland's famed star-studded ceiling.
The Fletcher Henderson
Band played at the Roseland throughout the 1920 and 1930's. Orchestras that played the venue included Vincent Lopez
, Harry James
, Louis Armstrong
, Tommy Dorsey
, and Glenn Miller
. The appearance by Count Basie
was a turning point in his career and a break though in the all-white atmosphere of the club. One of his songs was to be the "Roseland Shuffle".
Brecker popularized marathon dancing until it was banned, staged female prizefights, yo-yo
exhibitions, sneezing contests, and dozens of highly publicized jazz weddings with couples who met at the club.
As the club grew older, Brecker attempted to formalize the dancing more by having hostesses dance for 11¢ a dance or $1.50 a half-hour with tuxedoed bouncers (politely known as "housemen") keeping order. It was to work its way into stories by Ring Lardner
, Sherwood Anderson
, F. Scott Fitzgerald
, and John O'Hara
.
Time magazine described the new Roseland's opening interior as a "purple-and-cerise
tentlike décor that creates a definite harem
effect." Brecker attempted to maintain its ballroom dancing style, banning rock and roll
and disco
. In 1974 Brecker told The New York Times, "Cheek-to-cheek dancing, that's what this place is all about."
Brecker sold the building in 1981. Under the new owners the Roseland began regularly scheduled "disco nights", which gave rise to a period when it was considered a dangerous venue and neighborhood menace.
In July 1978, a 19 year old British exchange student was drugged and kidnapped from the ballroom by a group affiliated to the Red Army Faction
. She was subsequently found in wasteland murdered 5 days later, and the killers never found.
In 1984, a teenager was shot to death on the dance floor.
In 1990, after Utah tourist Brian Watkins was killed in the subway, four of the eight suspects (members of the FTS gang) were found partying at Roseland. As a result, Roseland discontinued the "disco nights".
Its low-rise three-story structure on top of the quarter-acre dance floor in the middle of midtown Manhattan has stirred concerns over its being torn down for redevelopment. In 1996, a new owner, Laurence Ginsberg, filed plans to tear down the venue and replace it with a 42-story, 459-unit apartment building. A spokesman for Ginsberg said the filing was to "beat a deadline for new, more stringent earthquake codes, which went into effect earlier" in 1996. The interior space has been subsequently renovated.
On March 8, 2011, at around 10:30 p.m., a 2-alarm fire in the mezzanine section was reported. The extent of the damage, and cause of the fire is not yet known. There was no event at the time of the fire's breakout.
Ice skating
Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...
rink, with a colorful ballroom dancing pedigree, in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's theatre district
Theatre District, New York
The Theater District is an area in Midtown Manhattan where most Broadway theaters are located, as well as many other theaters, movie theaters, restaurants, hotels and other places of entertainment. It extends from 40th Street to 54th Street, and from west of Sixth Avenue to east of Eighth Avenue,...
, on West 52nd Street
52nd Street (Manhattan)
52nd Street is a long one-way street traveling west to east across Midtown Manhattan.-Jazz center:The blocks of 52nd Street between Fifth Avenue and Seventh Avenue were renowned in the mid-20th century for the abundance of jazz clubs and lively street life...
.
The venue, according to its website, can accommodate 3,200 standing (with an additional 300 upstairs), 2,500 for a dance party, between 1,500 and 1,800 in theatre style, and 800-1,000 for a sit-down dinner.
The quirky venue has hosted everything, from a Hillary Clinton birthday party, to annual gay circuit parties
Circuit party
A circuit party is a large dance event, extending through a night and into the following day, almost always with a number of affiliated events in the days leading up to and following the main event...
, to movie premieres, to musical performances from all genres.
The rear of the venue faces West 53rd Street
53rd Street (Manhattan)
53rd Street is a midtown cross street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, that contains buildings such as the Citicorp Building. It is 1.83 miles long. The street runs westbound from Sutton Place across most of the island's width, ending at DeWitt Clinton Park at Eleventh Avenue...
and the Ed Sullivan Theater
Ed Sullivan Theater
The Ed Sullivan Theater, located at 1697-1699 Broadway between West 53rd and West 54th, in Manhattan, is a venerable radio and television studio in New York City...
. It is seen virtually every time that comedian David Letterman
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
has outside antics during taping of the Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
beside his theater (prompting various attempts to paint the industrial-looking wall to make it look better on national television).
51st Street location
Roseland was founded initially in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
in 1917 by Louis Brecker with financing by Frank Yuengling of the D. G. Yuengling & Son
D. G. Yuengling & Son
D. G. Yuengling & Son is the oldest operating brewing company in the United States, established in 1829. It is one of the largest breweries by volume in the country, and is the second largest American-owned brewery after the Boston Beer Company, makers of Sam Adams beer...
beer family.
In 1919, they moved the venue to 1658 Broadway
Broadway (New York City)
Broadway is a prominent avenue in New York City, United States, which runs through the full length of the borough of Manhattan and continues northward through the Bronx borough before terminating in Westchester County, New York. It is the oldest north–south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to...
at 51st Street
51st Street (Manhattan)
51st Street is a long one-way street traveling east to west across Midtown Manhattan.-East 51st Street:*The route officially begins at Beekman Place which is on a hill overlooking FDR Drive...
in New York. It was a "whites only" dance club called the "home of refined dancing", famed for the big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
groups that played there, starting with Sam Lanin
Sam Lanin
Sam Lanin was an American jazz bandleader.Lanin's brothers, Howard and Lester, were also bandleaders, and all of them had sustained, successful careers in music. Lanin was one of ten children born to Russian-Jewish immigrants who emigrated to Philadelphia in the decade of the 1900s...
and his Ipana Troubadours. Couples danced the jitterbug, Lindy Hop
Lindy Hop
The Lindy Hop is an American social dance, from the swing dance family. It evolved in Harlem, New York City in the 1920s and '30s and originally evolved with the jazz music of that time. Lindy was a fusion of many dances that preceded it or were popular during its development but is mainly based...
, and Charleston
Charleston (dance)
The Charleston is a dance named for the harbor city of Charleston, South Carolina. The rhythm was popularized in mainstream dance music in the United States by a 1923 tune called "The Charleston" by composer/pianist James P. Johnson which originated in the Broadway show Runnin' Wild and became one...
under the Roseland's famed star-studded ceiling.
The Fletcher Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson, Jr. was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. His was one of the most prolific black orchestras and his influence was vast...
Band played at the Roseland throughout the 1920 and 1930's. Orchestras that played the venue included Vincent Lopez
Vincent Lopez
Vincent Lopez was an American bandleader and pianist.Vincent Lopez was born of Portuguese immigrant parents in Brooklyn, New York and was leading his own dance band in New York City by 1917...
, Harry James
Harry James
Henry Haag “Harry” James was a trumpeter who led a jazz swing band during the Big Band Era of the 1930s and 1940s. He was especially known among musicians for his astonishing technical proficiency as well as his superior tone.-Biography:He was born in Albany, Georgia, the son of a bandleader of a...
, Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
, Tommy Dorsey
Tommy Dorsey
Thomas Francis "Tommy" Dorsey, Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader of the Big Band era. He was known as "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing", due to his smooth-toned trombone playing. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey...
, and Glenn Miller
Glenn Miller
Alton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...
. The appearance by Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
was a turning point in his career and a break though in the all-white atmosphere of the club. One of his songs was to be the "Roseland Shuffle".
Brecker popularized marathon dancing until it was banned, staged female prizefights, yo-yo
Yo-yo
The yo-yo in its simplest form is an object consisting of an axle connected to two disks, and a length of twine looped around the axle, similar to a slender spool...
exhibitions, sneezing contests, and dozens of highly publicized jazz weddings with couples who met at the club.
As the club grew older, Brecker attempted to formalize the dancing more by having hostesses dance for 11¢ a dance or $1.50 a half-hour with tuxedoed bouncers (politely known as "housemen") keeping order. It was to work its way into stories by Ring Lardner
Ring Lardner
Ringgold Wilmer Lardner was an American sports columnist and short story writer best known for his satirical takes on the sports world, marriage, and the theatre.-Personal life:...
, Sherwood Anderson
Sherwood Anderson
Sherwood Anderson was an American novelist and short story writer. His most enduring work is the short story sequence Winesburg, Ohio. Writers he has influenced include Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, J. D. Salinger, and Amos Oz.-Early life:Anderson was born in Clyde, Ohio,...
, F. Scott Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost...
, and John O'Hara
John O'Hara
John Henry O'Hara was an American writer. He initially became known for his short stories and later became a best-selling novelist whose works include Appointment in Samarra and BUtterfield 8. He was particularly known for an uncannily accurate ear for dialogue...
.
Current 52nd Street location
The original New York Roseland was torn down in 1956 and it moved to its new venue on West 52nd, a building that Brecker earlier had converted from an ice-skating rink to a roller-skating rink. It had been built in 1922 at a cost of $800,000 by the Iceland ice-skating franchise. A thousand skaters showed up on opening night at the 80-by-200-foot rink on November 29, 1922. Iceland went bankrupt in 1932 and the rink opened as the Gay Blades Ice Rink. Brecker took it over in the 1950s and converted it to roller-skating.Time magazine described the new Roseland's opening interior as a "purple-and-cerise
Cerise (color)
-Etymology:According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first recorded use of cerise as a color name in English was in The Times of November 30, 1858. However, it was used at least as early as 1845 in a book of crochet patterns....
tentlike décor that creates a definite harem
Harem
Harem refers to the sphere of women in what is usually a polygynous household and their enclosed quarters which are forbidden to men...
effect." Brecker attempted to maintain its ballroom dancing style, banning rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
and disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
. In 1974 Brecker told The New York Times, "Cheek-to-cheek dancing, that's what this place is all about."
Brecker sold the building in 1981. Under the new owners the Roseland began regularly scheduled "disco nights", which gave rise to a period when it was considered a dangerous venue and neighborhood menace.
In July 1978, a 19 year old British exchange student was drugged and kidnapped from the ballroom by a group affiliated to the Red Army Faction
Red Army Faction
The radicalized were, like many in the New Left, influenced by:* Sociological developments, pressure within the educational system in and outside Europe and the U.S...
. She was subsequently found in wasteland murdered 5 days later, and the killers never found.
In 1984, a teenager was shot to death on the dance floor.
In 1990, after Utah tourist Brian Watkins was killed in the subway, four of the eight suspects (members of the FTS gang) were found partying at Roseland. As a result, Roseland discontinued the "disco nights".
Its low-rise three-story structure on top of the quarter-acre dance floor in the middle of midtown Manhattan has stirred concerns over its being torn down for redevelopment. In 1996, a new owner, Laurence Ginsberg, filed plans to tear down the venue and replace it with a 42-story, 459-unit apartment building. A spokesman for Ginsberg said the filing was to "beat a deadline for new, more stringent earthquake codes, which went into effect earlier" in 1996. The interior space has been subsequently renovated.
On March 8, 2011, at around 10:30 p.m., a 2-alarm fire in the mezzanine section was reported. The extent of the damage, and cause of the fire is not yet known. There was no event at the time of the fire's breakout.
Movies
- Malcolm XMalcolm X (film)Malcolm X is a 1992 biographical motion picture about the Muslim-American figure Malcolm X . It was co-written, co-produced, and directed by Spike Lee. It stars Denzel Washington as the titular character. It co-stars Angela Bassett, Albert Hall, Al Freeman, Jr., and Delroy Lindo...
directed by Spike LeeSpike LeeShelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....
has a dance scene at the ballroom. - RoselandRoseland (film)Roseland is a 1977 Merchant Ivory Productions' portmanteau film with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. It was directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant....
, directed by James IvoryJames Ivory (director)James Francis Ivory is an American film director, best known for the results of his long collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions, which included both Indian-born film producer Ismail Merchant, and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala...
and starring Christopher WalkenChristopher WalkenChristopher Walken is an American stage and screen actor. He has appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows, including Joe Dirt, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, The Prophecy trilogy, The Dogs of War, Sleepy Hollow, Brainstorm, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, At Close Range, King of New...
.
Music
- Evil or Divine, live album and DVD by Heavy Metal artist DioDio (band)Dio was an American heavy metal band from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Formed in 1982 and led by vocalist Ronnie James Dio, after he left Black Sabbath with intentions to form a new band with fellow former Black Sabbath member, drummer Vinny Appice. Naming the band Dio made sense from a commercial...
- Live at Roseland Ballroom, a 19961996 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1996.-January:* January – At the trial of two American teenagers, Nicholaus McDonald and Brian Bassett, for the murder of Bassett's parents and young brother, defense lawyers attempt to lay the blame for the murders on the fact...
live album from Gov't MuleGov't MuleGov't Mule is a Southern rock jam band formed in 1994 as an Allman Brothers Band side project by Warren Haynes and Allen Woody.The band released their debut album Gov't Mule in 1995... - Live Scenes from New YorkLive Scenes from New York-Disc two:-Disc three:-Personnel:* James LaBrie – vocals and percussion* John Myung – bass guitars* John Petrucci – guitars and backing vocals* Mike Portnoy – drums and backing vocals* Jordan Rudess – keyboards-Additional Personnel:...
and Metropolis 2000: Scenes from New YorkMetropolis 2000: Scenes from New YorkMetropolis 2000: Scenes from New York is a VHS/DVD release by American progressive metal band Dream Theater. It was released on April 21, 2001 by Elektra Records...
, live album and DVD by Dream TheaterDream TheaterDream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would... - Roseland Ballroom 2003, a bootleg recording of a 2003 AC/DCAC/DCAC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
concert - Roseland NYC LiveRoseland NYC LiveRoseland NYC Live is a live album by Portishead with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, mixed with Rik Simpson. It was released in 1998 by Go! Discs/London. A PAL format VHS video was released the same year, with a DVD version following four years later...
, live album by Portishead - 'Abrasions Mount The Timpani', 'Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt', 'A: Gust Of Mutts' and 'B: And Ghosted Pouts' from the live album ScabdatesScabdates-CD pressing:-Source of recordings:05/12/2004 – Wiltern Theatre – Los Angeles, CA* "Haruspex"* "Cicatriz"05/13/2004 – Wiltern Theatre – Los Angeles, CA* "Caviglia"05/05/2005 – Roseland Ballroom – New York City, NY* "Abrasions Mount the Timpani"...
by The Mars VoltaThe Mars VoltaThe Mars Volta is a Grammy award winning American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas. Founded in 2001 by guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, the band incorporates various influences including progressive rock, krautrock, jazz fusion, Latin American music, and... - Phil Collins: Going Back - Live At Roseland Ballroom, NYC
- "Haunted DJ Throwdown", a live House music event, in which deadmau5Deadmau5Joel Thomas Zimmerman , better known by his stage name deadmau5 , is a Canadian progressive, electro, and house producer based in Toronto...
and KaskadeKaskadeRyan Raddon , better known by his stage name Kaskade, is an American DJ and record producer. On October 20, 2011, DJ Magazine announced the results of their annual Top 100 DJ Poll, with Ultra Records Kaskade placed at #30...
played. - MadonnaMadonna (entertainer)Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
: Hard Candy Promo Tour - Filmed for MSNMSNMSN is a collection of Internet sites and services provided by Microsoft. The Microsoft Network debuted as an online service and Internet service provider on August 24, 1995, to coincide with the release of the Windows 95 operating system.The range of services offered by MSN has changed since its...
online broadcast on April 30, 2008. - NirvanaNirvana (band)Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
: played twice at the Roseland, July 23rd, 1993 as the headliner of the New Music Seminar, previewing songs from their then-upcoming In Utero album, Kurt Cobain overdosed on heroin minutes before the show, and was revived in time to play. The other date Nirvana played was a surprise concert on November 15th, 1993. - Fugazi played 3 sold-out concerts in a row at the Roseland on September 24, 25 and 26, 1993. After the show on the 25th, Atlantic RecordsAtlantic RecordsAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
president Ahmet ErtegünAhmet ErtegunAhmet Ertegün was a Turkish American musician and businessman, best known as the founder and president of Atlantic Records. He also wrote classic blues and pop songs and served as Chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and museum...
famously met with the band backstage in an attempt to sign them for $10 million. - American singer-songwriter Ke$ha, brought her Get Sleazy TourGet Sleazy TourThe Get Sleazy Tour was the first concert tour by American recording artist Kesha in support of her first extended play, Cannibal. Officially announced on November 8, 2010, the tour visited the Americas, Australia and Europe. It was scheduled to visit Asia but due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake...
to the ballroom on April 13, 2011. - American singer-songwriter Beyoncé KnowlesBeyoncé KnowlesBeyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
held a revue show titled 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé was a revue by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles. Held in four non-consecutive nights in August 2011, the concerts were part of Knowles' campaign in support of her fourth studio album 4 . Knowles performed to a standing room-only audience at the Roseland...
on August 14, 16, 18 and 19, 2011. - RadioheadRadioheadRadiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
performed two concerts at the venue on the 28th and 29th of September, 2011. - Funk Metal band Primus has played the venue a number of times including a show in 2006 where the barricade at the front of the venue collapsed due to the pressure exerted from the audience.
- KornKornKorn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
broght The Path of Totality TourThe Path of Totality TourThe Path of Totality Tour is a concert tour in support of Korn's tenth studio album of the same name. The tour will kick off on November 3, 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts....
in November 2011 with dubstep acts such as Downlink, Datsik and Dope D.O.D.