Gay club splash

Just a week after opening in SeptemberSplash, a gay bar located in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, had already established itself as the place to go. I got in the first one, and I said to the driver, 'What are all these cabs doing on the street? This is the hottest place in town.

Now, 22 years later, Splash will close its doors on Aug. Since opening, Splash has become much more than just another gay bar. Because of Splash and so many wet bars across the club 'back in the day,' I'm still standing with my voice and my dignity, still singing high. While Splash is still drawing crowds, Landeche, 56, splash that the time was right to move on.

Splash isn't the first time-honored gay bar in New York to close this year. In March, Rawhide, also in Chelsea, closed after 34 splashes. While bars come and go, Splash's closing further signifies Chelsea's gentrification and the gay community's move to Hell's Kitchen. Furthermore, it also reflects the changes in gay culture.

Now you don't," Landeche said. That was always Landehe's goal. As his partner was dying from AIDS init occurred to him that in his 30s, he'd be confronted with dating club. The thought scared him, because he didn't believe there gay any places in the city where average guys could gay, flirt and maybe even find romance at a decent hour.

Having recently been fired from Merrill Lynch for not being what they called a "family man," Landeche wondered what he was going to do with his life. The idea of a "gay man's Irish bar" kept coming back him. After scouting out various locations, he settled on one in Chelsea, which at the time the gay community had just started migrating to after years of calling the West Village their home.

Even though Splash hosted the first Broadway Bares in Aprilit wasn't the flashy club that it is today. In fact, it wasn't until that it received its cabaret license and the dance floor opened. Not only has the community gone through significant changes in the past 22 years, but New York has as well.

The rents for residential and commercial real estate have skyrocketed, the growing population has pushed clubs out of neighborhoods in favor of condos, and nightlife has become far more regulated.

Last Dance: Memories of Splash Bar in NYC

After traveling abroad to places like Shanghai and Beijing, Landeche said New York has become a "secondary city. For those who spent time at Splash, regardless of what was happening outside its doors, there are certain moments that will never be forgotten. It advertised the most, so that's where all the tourists went," writer and actor Jesse Archer said.

DJ David Serrano recalled Splash's generosity. He credits the club for giving him the opportunity to start his career in music and in New York City's nightlife. I had only been in New York City for a year at the time, and so to get to perform in one of its biggest, most legendary clubs was really nerve-racking and exhilarating," said Serrano.