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| Address | 244 West 14th Street |
|---|---|
| Location | New York City |
| Coordinates | 40°44′22″N74°00′07″W / 40.7394°N 74.002°W /40.7394; -74.002 |
| Type | nightclub |
| Opened | 1986 |
| Closed | May 30, 2004 |
Nell's (or Nells) was a nightclub located on 244 West14th Street in theGreenwich Village neighborhood ofManhattan. It opened in the fall of 1986 in the space of a former electronics store and closed May 30, 2004.
Nell's opened in the fall of 1986 in the space of a former electronics store.[1] It came onto the scene when some clubgoers were tiring of the cavernous discothèques (e.g.,Studio 54) popular in the 1970s and early 1980s.[1] 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.[1] Other exclusivesupper clubs like M.K. and Au Bar soon followed.[1]
Actress-singerNell Campbell was its namesake and longtime proprietress. Initially, she co-owned the club with Lynn Wagenknecht andKeith McNally.[1] McNally gave up ownership when he and Wagenknecht divorced.[1] The painter Thomas Moller was Nell's original manager.[2] Moller takes credit for attracting New York's art scene to the club. Also a 1985 Interview Magazine included Nell and Christian Lepanto in different articles. Christian L worked as coatcheck and introduced Semour Stein to Tommy Page. 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.
It was the quiet hookup place forRob Lowe andMelissa Gilbert.Prince also visited as well asAl Franken. It was the last nightclubAndy Warhol attended withDionne Warwick just before his botched hospital visit in which he died.[1] On June 4, 1987, artistRobert Mapplethorpe and actressSusan Sarandon hosted a dinner for AIDS charityamfAR at Nell's.[3]Duran Duran frontmanSimon Le Bon and his wifeYasmin Le Bon frequented the night club in the 80's and 90's.
In the 1990s Nell's matured into a jazz, reggae, and hip-hop showcase.
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 thatTupac met a woman who accused him of sexual assault[4]
Nell's was also a frequent haunt of fictional characterPatrick Bateman, in the bookAmerican Psycho byBret Easton Ellis.
In early 2004, actorMark Wahlberg was planning to buy Nell's.[5] It closed on May 30, 2004.
The space later held a private clubNA opened by actorChris Noth and his business partner Noel Ashman.[6] 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.