Nell's
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2010) |
 | |
| Address | 246 West 14th Street |
|---|---|
| Location | New York City |
| Coordinates | 40°44′22″N 74°00′07″W / 40.73946°N 74.00184°W |
| Type | nightclub |
| Opened | 1986 |
| Closed | May 30, 2004 |
Nell's (or Nells) was a nightclub located on 246 West 14th Street in downtown Manhattan. It opened in 1986 in the space of a former electronics store and closed May 30, 2004. Actress-singer Nell Campbell was its namesake and longtime proprietress. In early 2004, actor Mark Wahlberg was planning to buy Nell's.[1] The painter Thomas Moller was Nell's original manager.[2]
At its peak of popularity in the late 1980s, with a capacity of only 250, Nell's was known for denying even the famous entry to the club. In the 1990s Nell's matured into a jazz, reggae, and hip-hop showcase.
Nell's came onto the scene when some clubgoers were tiring of the cavernous discothèques (e.g., Studio 54) popular in the 1970s and early 1980s. Decorated as a slightly shabby 19th-century English men's club, Nell's afforded its upscale patrons a place to eat, sit, socialize, and listen to live music. Other exclusive supper clubs like M.K. soon followed. On June 4, 1987, artist Robert Mapplethorpe and actress Susan Sarandon hosted a dinner for AIDS charity amfAR at Nell's.[3]
Run-DMC was often known to take over the DJ booth on any given night. In 1995, The Notorious B.I.G. made his video for "Big Poppa" there. It was also there in 1993 that Tupac met a woman whom he allegedly sexually assaulted.
Nell's was also a frequent haunt of fictional character Patrick Bateman, in the book American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis.
The space later held a private club NA opened by actor Chris Noth and his business partner Noel Ashman [1]. Noel Ashman then teamed up with new partners to open semi-private club NA in 2005. Several other clubs opened and closed in the space before the space split into two to become Stash nightclub, which lies underneath Snap Sports Bar.
References
- ^ "Wahlberg in Nightclub Buyout". Contact Music.
- ^ "Nell's at debbieguide.com". Retrieved 18 January 2010.
- ^ Anne-Marie Schiro (June 5, 1987), Artists Rally To Fight AIDS New York Times.
http://www.thuglifearmy.com/the-alleged-rape.html