Is Studio 54 being forced to close down?

"New York's theatrical landscape (and the history of nightlife) may be about to lose one of its most storied addresses. Studio 54, the former disco palace turned Broadway playhouse, could shutter within the next couple of years unless city planners step in with zoning relief to unlock critical funds for overdue renovations. That's the warning from Roundabout Theatre Company, which operates the venue and has sounded the alarm about long‑standing structural issues that are hampering both productions and the theater's financial viability."

"Studio 54 has served many roles over the last century, but for the last few decades it's shone under Roundabout's stewardship as one of Broadway's largest stages. But the company says the venue has quirks that need to be addressed from renovations made during its nightclub era, including a flattened auditorium floor that wrecks traditional sightlines, no orchestra pit and a lighting control booth accessible only by ladder."

"According to Crain's New York, Roundabout's recent filing with the New York City Department of City Planning makes a blunt case: serious rehabilitation is needed if Studio 54 is to remain competitive with other Broadway houses. Proposed fixes would reclaim the space's theatrical functionality with a raked seating layout, improved sightlines and a proper orchestra pit, but current zoning rules are blocking the essential funding mechanism for those upgrades."

Roundabout Theatre Company operates Studio 54 and warns the venue faces closure within a few years without zoning relief to fund overdue renovations. The building, opened in 1927 as the Gallo Opera House and later a 1970s disco, lacks key theatrical features after nightclub-era alterations. Renovation needs include a raked seating layout to restore sightlines, installation of an orchestra pit, and relocation or redesign of a lighting control booth currently reachable only by ladder. Current zoning rules prevent selling unused air rights to raise renovation funds because a prior owner exhausted those rights. Without zoning changes, the theater's competitive and financial viability is at risk.

Read at Time Out New York