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'Music and Passion' Yield to Subway

Historic Copacabana awaits transit-expansion wrecking ball

By M. Morris,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 1, 2007 11:57 AM CDT
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(Newser) – After nearly seven decades, three locations, and an unforgettable hit song, the Copacabana nightclub closed its doors early this morning to make way for the extension of a subway line. In its latest incarnation, the onetime hangout of the Rat Pack and the Mickey Mantle-led New York Yankees bowed out to a soundtrack of reggaeton, not Barry Manilow's 1978 single.

The "hottest spot north of Havana" opened on the East Side in 1940 and was driven out of its 34th Street and 11th Avenue digs by the No. 7 subway line. John Juliano, an owner since 1976, hopes to reopen elsewhere, reports the Daily News. He did not add, "Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl."

A woman walks toward the entrance of the Copacabana club in New York in this Jan. 20, 2007 file photo. The famed nightclub, currently in its third reincarnation on New York City's West 34th Street, has been condemned by the city to make way for an extension of the No....
A woman walks toward the entrance of the Copacabana club in New York in this Jan. 20, 2007 file photo. The famed nightclub, currently in its third reincarnation on New York City's West 34th Street, has...   (Associated Press)
An Evening Of Music And Passion With Barry Manilow
An Evening Of Music And Passion With Barry Manilow   (Getty Images (by Event))
Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow   (Archive Photos)
The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson   (Getty Images)
Pat Hardy, dancing at center, is shown during one of her appearances at the Copacabana in New York in this file photo from Sept. 5, 1951. The famed nightclub, currently in its third reincarnation on New York City's West 34th Street, has been condemned by the city to make way...
Pat Hardy, dancing at center, is shown during one of her appearances at the Copacabana in New York in this file photo from Sept. 5, 1951. The famed nightclub, currently in its third reincarnation on New...   (Associated Press)
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A talk with the owner on the eve of the Copa's last dance
Associated Press

 
New York City • John Juliano • Copacabana • Rat Pack • nightclub • baseball

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