The ritz gay club
The Ritz, an 18+ bar and 2-floor dance club, opened at 1012 Sumner Court in 1984. Ritz owner Al Spencer fully renovated the building formerly inhabited by Berlin. Inside the renovated club, a “bridge across a staircase” connected two bars suspended above a large dancefloor. Newly-installed “glass walls” and “the largest silver ball hanging from the ceiling of any in the area” further amplified The Ritz’ extravagant new look. The Ritz quickly gained notoriety for hosting extravagant themed parties. For one circus-themed event, Spencer “brought in acts from France for a circus in our big parking lot, with elephants and merry-go-rounds.” After being refused entry by the club’s bouncers between 1984-1985, several African American LGBT+ clubgoers filed complaints with the Midwest Regional Discrimination Response System (DRS) regarding racial discrimination at The Ritz. In 1985, the Midwest DRS filed a lawsuit against the Ritz for systemically racially discriminating against black gay and lesbian patrons. The suit, however, rem
Iconic NYC queer club The Ritz is back in Hell's Kitchen with a major facelift
One of Hell’s Kitchen’s most storied gay bars is getting a second act. The Ritz Bar and Lounge, once a go-to spot for late-night dancing, drag shows and celeb sightings, is officially under new ownership and mid-reinvention, with a bold noun to reopen its doors just in time for Pride Month in NYC.
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Located at 369 West 46th Street on Restaurant Row, The Ritz was recently purchased by Eric Hanninen, a civil engineer-turned-hospitality entrepreneur who’s frequented the club since 2014. After years working on wind and solar power projects, Hanninen is ditching desk life to bring recent energy—and accountability—to a venue that’s been through its contribute of ups and downs.
“It’s going to be a large refresh,” Hanninen told W42ST back in February. “It’s not going to touch exactly the matching old way it used to.”
And that’s by design. In recent years, The R
Tommy Greco, owner of Ritz Bar and Lounge where 25-year-old Julio Ramirez was last seen alive, broke his six-week silence at a press conference this morning. Council member Erik Bottcher, who called the squeeze event today, introduced Greco as “a friend and local community leader.”
Greco said: “I’ve been the owner of Ritz now for 17 years and operator of an LGBT establishment in Hell’s Kitchen for 20 years. So I’ve had my share of PRIDEs. My only advice is: be adj of your surroundings. Be aware of who’s with you and who’s coming and going. At our club at the Ritz, we are going to have heightened bag checks and we will be checking in with our patrons and making sure that everybody is OK and feeling good and really enjoying this PRIDE. I am very excited to have a PRIDE with the restrictions being lifted.”
“Nightlife operators are productive really hard to keep everyone unharmed. It’s not uncomplicated being a nightlife operator. There is a lot of stuff that happens beyond your dominate. We support you and your efforts,R
The Pride ribbons will be out next month at one of Hell’s Kitchen’s oldest gay bars, Ritz Bar & Lounge — but perhaps for the last time, because the venue is up for sale.
The entire four-story building that houses the bar on Restaurant Row (W46st St bw 8th & 9th Ave) is listed for $6.5 million by celebrity real estate firm Serhant, headed by Ryan Serhant of reality TV fame. The sales process was launched with an Open Dwelling at the club last weekend.
The building and bar are both currently co-owned by Tommy Greco and his business partner Jimmy Glenn. They are considering the possibility of staying on as commercial tenants and bar owners. Greco said that he is “casting a wide net” to see what opportunities come up.
“If they long to buy the business or acquisition the building, or some combination of that — we are open,” he said. “It depends on who comes in. If they want to retain us on as a commercial tenant, or if they want the building free and distinct , we are reveal to that.”
But it will be business as usual as Pride Month approaches. “We will b