Pittsburgh's popular night clubs in the 80's (Penn Hills, Bridgeville: movie theater, university)

[PeeAye Native]

Originally Posted by nuwaver88

How about Alexander's Grahm Bell in in Market Square. The tables all had telephones that could call one another. "Gee, that girl at table six sure is cute, maybe I'll call her and see if she wants to...you know."

That place was great fun. And I don't think there's ever been another like it anywhere (that copied it's phone system at each table idea).

[MaryG3]

Does anyone remember the T & I Lounge in Braddock (Rankin)?

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by Geeo

Zaks Fourth Avenue downtown

Was this a gay bar, maybe between Smithfield and Wood?

Originally Posted by PeeAye Native

That place was great fun. And I don't think there's ever been another like it anywhere (that copied it's phone system at each table idea).

Popular at a club on Wisconsin Avenue NW near Tenley Circle (Washington DC) in the early 1970s.

Originally Posted by michaeljacksonsfirstgirlf

Remember the "Library" in the Bank Center located in downtown Pgh? It was a disco during the late 70's and early 80's. Anyone remember the other bars in the Bank Center?

Where was the Bank Center?

Originally Posted by rhondee

"Heaven" was an awesome looking disco,too that was also in a former bank ( but I can't remember which street or building it was?) with the turned marble staircases,etc. I was there only once and I was still a teen then.
I remember how elegant it looked!

Was it gay? I know I went to a disco in a building that looked like a bank sometime during a visit in 1986.

[Copanut]

I think Heaven turned into a gay bar every Friday after 9 PM. (from what I've read)

[Benzman66]

Originally Posted by rhondee
"Heaven" was an awesome looking disco,too that was also in a former bank ( but I can't remember which street or building it was?) with the turned marble staircases,etc. I was there only once and I was still a teen then.
I remember how elegant it looked!

The only "Heaven" I remember is the one which use to be on Sixth Street in where the Renaissance Hotel is located now. It was elegant and had marble staircases. Use to be packed and lines started backing across towards the bridge before midnight on weekends. This was the one owned by Robin Fernandez back in the early 2000s.

There was one before that many years before in the same location during the disco era. Here is a write up on it;
http://www.discomusic.com/clubs-more/11747_0_6_0_C/



Was it gay? I know I went to a disco in a building that looked like a bank sometime during a visit in 1986.

The most recent one WASN'T a gay club, but I don't know about the previous one. That was before I moved here.

[Flamingo13]

Wow, what memories. There was a VIP Lounge in Bridgeville, Studebackers, etc. Anybody remember the place that was on the rooftop around Gateway Center? Also there was a place nearby called Grapevine or something (downstairs of an office). Avanti near the airport........

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by rhondee

"Heaven" was an awesome looking disco,too that was also in a former bank ( but I can't remember which street or building it was?) with the turned marble staircases,etc. I was there only once and I was still a teen then.
I remember how elegant it looked!

Heaven was located in the current Renaissance Hotel.

Originally Posted by jay5835

Where was the Bank Center?

Wood Street & Forbes. The Wood Street entrance is the current University Center for Point Park. The Forbes entrance is 314 Forbes. There may have been an entrance on 4th but I never used it if ther was. The buildings connected in the back somehow, that's why all of those little stores on the corner of Wood and Forbes remain even though there was a "center" taking up the block. It was like a little mini mall made from those old bank buildings. I recall walking through a bank vault doorway in the hallway or as an entrance into one of the shops. It was filled with little privately owned shops and eateries.

[Herodotus]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Heaven was located in the current Renaissance Hotel.


Wood Street & Forbes. The Wood Street entrance is the current University Center for Point Park. The Forbes entrance is 314 Forbes. There may have been an entrance on 4th but I never used it if ther was. The buildings connected in the back somehow, that's why all of those little stores on the corner of Wood and Forbes remain even though there was a "center" taking up the block. It was like a little mini mall made from those old bank buildings. I recall walking through a bank vault doorway in the hallway or as an entrance into one of the shops. It was filled with little privately owned shops and eateries.

Heaven wasn't in a bank, it was actually in the lobby of the Fulton Building, which is now the hotel. It opened in the late summer of 1979, weeks before I turned 21. It was renamed Mirage in the mid 80's, then reverted back to Heaven around 1990. 2001 was on the North Side, but not on the site of PNC Park. It was past the PNC Park site, on the opposite side of General Robinson St. I believe it opened around 1973 or so. They lost their liquor license sometime during the mid 70's. They closed during the early 80's. Reflections was another late 70's spot. It was located in Market Square, in the space that Walt Harper's Attic occupied during the early 70's. They had happy hour every day, and the place would be jumping at 4pm, like it was midnight on saturday. Next door was the Crazy Quilt, which featured live bands playing R&B. There were 3 Capri Pizza places that had disco's attached to them in the 80's. The Unique was Uptown on Fifth Avenue. Forbes Studio was in Oakland on Forbes, and Constantine's was on Penn in East Liberty. Happy Landing was in the Kossman Building downtown, and was renamed Celebrity in the mid 80's.

[raubre]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Wood Street & Forbes. The Wood Street entrance is the current University Center for Point Park. The Forbes entrance is 314 Forbes. There may have been an entrance on 4th but I never used it if ther was. The buildings connected in the back somehow, that's why all of those little stores on the corner of Wood and Forbes remain even though there was a "center" taking up the block. It was like a little mini mall made from those old bank buildings. I recall walking through a bank vault doorway in the hallway or as an entrance into one of the shops. It was filled with little privately owned shops and eateries.

Slightly veering off topic, but where was the Bank Cinema at? Was that in the same building? What's there now?

[Sugar13]

Vip in Hampton turned into Hubcaps in late 80's. Confetti's. Memories turned into Nitro I think. Harmerville had a few clubs cant remember the names.