Paradise Garage (former)

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Underground nightclub from 1970s-80s

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This is a famous underground nightclub from the 1970s and 1980s. This place still holds a mystique in club culture; biographies have been written about its DJ, Larry Levan, and by its co-founder, Mel Cheren; current promoters and media still reference the nightclub.

This was a nightclub created from a garage, with a particular layout that has now been lost. One of the main features about entering the nightclub was the long garage ramp leading from the street entrance to the payment booth, a ramp on which clubgoers could hear the music playing inside the club, building suspense and excitement. Though the club no longer exists, the building still stands and should be preserved.

See http://www.westendrecords.com, http://www.disco-disco.com/clubs/paradise.shtml, http://www.theparadisegarage.net/, http://www.haring.com/cgi-bin/essays.cgi?essay_id=08, http://www.amazon.com/My-Life-Paradise-Garage-P/dp/0967899419, http://www.deepattitude.com/paradise_garage.htm. There are also various CDs referencing the Paradise Garage and/or Larry Levan, available through major music retailers, and the "Garage," even inspired a song by Tim Curry. (November 2008)