Le Club

On New Year's Eve in 1960, a French entrepreneur named Olivier Coquelin opened Le Club at 416 East 55th Street, effectively inventing the modern American discotheque. Coquelin transformed a former garage into an ultra-exclusive, members-only space that became the epicenter for the city's jet-set social scene. The club attracted an elite roster of members that included royalty, the Kennedys, and the Vanderbilts, and it served as the backdrop for the rise of nightlife culture in Manhattan.