"After struggling with drug violations that actually forced the longtime New York institution to close down for two years, former owner Peter Gatien and daughter Amanda began promoting the "new" Limelight (recently purchased by John Blair) as a cleaner, less deviant nightspot. The chapel-turned-dance club still holds plenty of eye candy, though. Crowds of drag queens, club kids and hip-hop b-boys fill the labyrinthine gothic interior on any given night"--------------------
The infamous and twice-renovated New York City Limelight club reopened this autumn under a new name - the Avalon - to the tune of over seven million dollars. Reworked by Desgrippes Gobé Group (DGG), it is a prolific 15,000-square-foot series of transitions and arrivals, ellipses and statements that embeds modern architecture - in the form of a 1500-occupancy nightclub - in the belly of a neogothic church dating from the 1880s. The Avalon's strength lies in its measured combination of old and new. 'We got over the notion that dancing in a church is sacrilegious in the 1980s,' says Sam O'Donahue, DGG's director of retail environments. 'But the idea of inserting a nightclub into a beautiful old building isn't passé. Less is more. You notice the Gothic architecture because there's very little of it.' The four-person design team inserted a multitude of unanchored structures into the club, none of which visibly touches the original structure. They played up their particular brand of spatial articulation by using light to limn the edges of surfaces, by canting interior spaces off the axes of existing rooms and by painting ceiling beams white to pop them out of the darkness. Like many old churches, the building had been the subject of numerous additions over the years, gradually evolving into a rabbit warren of diversely dimensioned rooms. The designers took this opportunity to create a multitude of distinct destinations and experiences that cater to different tastes and moods. Circulation through the club becomes a series of journeys, arrivals and discoveries. Circular lamps in dark hallways cannon beams of red, blue, orange and green from the floor. 'The corridors are like sorbet that clears your palette,' says O'Donahue. 'People pass through a blast of colour that shocks the previous experience out of them and gets them ready for the next one.' New design elements emphasise a 1990s-era glamour, while vestiges of a place of worship provide drama. Turn-offs are too many examples of extremely poor craftsmanship and a number of unoriginal flourishes, such as trendy radiused corners and cutouts. Also demonstrated, however, is a gift for solid design, most notably illustrated in a proliferation of materials that ranges from Brazilian walnut floors (which sadly recede in the darkness) to Maharam fabrics and glittering mineral countertops by Bisazza. One room is sheathed in squiggly, translucent, carpaccio-thin aluminium. Another resembles an eerie moonlit courtyard. Here fibre-optic lights twinkle from a ceiling hung with small rectangles of aluminium and flanked by a backlit faux topiary. Aloof above the dance floor, three VIP cubes and a DJ booth seem to float like mirrored moons. The toilet area comprises two rectangular boxes canted off the centre of the original room and lined with backlit honeycombs of colourless Panelite. 'The restrooms in a nightclub are a social experience,' says O'Donahue, 'the way the kitchen is at any good party.' Radiused rectangular stalls painted red are lined with yellow Bisazza tiles. While most of the design draws a clear distinction between old and new, occasional details - like the immense antique crystal chandelier above the sinks - confuse the two. Throughout the Avalon labyrinth - a theme park featuring aural and alcoholic attractions - the aesthetic and the level of sophistication vary. DGG's is the first sincere attempt to move the Limelight beyond the gangland glamour of its recent history and to reinvent a beloved midnight Manhattan monument.
Here are some of the DJ's that Handled the music
Keoki , Gonzo ,Junior Vasquez , Merrit , Steven zor , Ted MayDay ,Anthony acid , adam acid , Frankie Bones ,Fluid, ROB GEE , Jahred, Corbett and REPETE ,doc martin ,repete ,stroboscopic
Adam X,Sister Dimension,
James Christian,Dj's Hellraver (formally Bent!), Punk Ass Jason, Rob Xian, Dave Kendall, Tony Fletcher.Soul Slinger,
On E,Joey Rave,Chris Bjork,
The Punisher,
Jimmy Crash,
Reese,
MoneyPenny,
Mr. Kleen,
DB,
Scott Henry,
Wink,
Jason Jinx,
Overload,
Raphie Dee,........That is just to name a few
It's Ok if you feel the need to cry ..i did ...
"A Bronx Tale"---Party Monster ...
G.O.D