Farewell to the Copacabana
The Copacabana, the famed nightclub that has been a fixture of nightlife in New York City since the days of World War II, is having its last dance right now. The legendary "Copa" will close after tonight's show to make was for construction of a subway line extension.
The rat pack crowd of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr. held court at the Copacabana in their heyday, and in 1957 there was a famous brawl there involving New York Yankees stars Mickey Mantle and Billy Martin. The club became a disco in the 1970s. And of course it was the inspiration for Barry Manilow's cheesy hit song of the same name.
An article I read said that the Copa was prominently featured in two of Martin Scorsese's classic films, "Raging Bull" and "Goodfellas," as well as in Dustin Hoffman's "Tootsie" (I haven't seen any of these movies in over 15 years, so I can't remember.)
The current site on West 34th Street is not the original location of the Copacabana, which has been situated at three different spots in its history. Though it's sad to see yet another legendary piece of New York cultural history closing down, at least this time it's not a case of a business forced out by skyrocketing rents or a condo conversion, like so many other places.
The extension of the #7 subway line will give the Javits convention center a much-needed connection to mass transit, so at least there's some good that's going to come out of all this.
Will the Copa resurface in the future in yet another location? Yes, if all goes well. The owner is looking for a new site, and says he hopes to reopen in a new location in October. If you haven't been to any of the previous three incarnations of the Copa, you can always be one of the first to dance at the fourth.
