![]() Florentine Gardens, Jan 1939 | |
Location | 5955 Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood, California United States |
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Type | Nightclub |
Construction | |
Built | 1938 |
Opened | 1938 |
Renovated | 1981 |
Closed | 1948; transformed into The Cotton Club; Returned to the Florentine Gardens in 1982 |
Website | |
https://www.florentinehollywood.com/ |
The Florentine Gardens was a nightclub in Hollywood, California, at 5955 Hollywood Boulevard, opened on December 28, 1938, by restaurateur Guido Braccini. [1] The building was designed by architect Gordon B. Kaufmann [2] and featured a European garden motif. Manager and emcee Nils Granlund. Nils Thor Granlund (known as N.T.G.) had been a radio announcer, as well as a promoter and producer of live shows in New York. He became manager and emcee of the club and brought in big bands and well-known performers including The Mills Brothers, the Ink Spots, Sophie Tucker, and fan dancer Sally Rand. [3]
The original Florentine Gardens was a restaurant serving Italian food that also offered dancing and live entertainment – often of the burlesque variety. The venue seated over 1000 patrons for dinner and was popular with American servicemen on leave in Hollywood during World War II. [4] Dance performances at the club helped launch the careers of actors Gwen Verdon and Yvonne DeCarlo. Sixteen-year-old Norma Jeane Baker ( Marilyn Monroe) met 22-year-old defense plant worker Jim Dougherty at the Florentine Gardens and the couple held their wedding reception at the venue in June 1942. [5]
The club closed in 1948 and new owners renamed it The Cotton Club. [6] It later became a club featuring scantily clad dancers, was a Salvation Army outpost, [7] a dental school, salsa club, and hip hop club. [8] Avalon Attractions started booking acts at the “New Florentine Gardens” in 1981, featuring such acts as Chuck Berry, X, Dead Kennedys, Circle Jerks, Fear, and The Blasters. [9]
Owner Kenneth MacKenzie fought efforts by the City of Los Angeles to demolish the club in 2005 to build a new fire station. [10] [11] [12] [13]