Studio 54 co-founder opens Public Arts, a new music venue in Manhattan

71-year-old Ian Schrager, one of the masterminds behind the iconic nightclub Studio 54, has recently opened up a brand new music venue in lower Manhattan, Public Arts. The bar and performance space was launched in June and has scheduled performances from the likes of Patti Smith, Rostam and more.

A staple of the NYC’s nightlife in the 70's, Schrager and co-owner Steve Rubell were convicted of tax evasion in 1980 and were sentenced to three and a half years in prison; resulting in the sale of their famous disco destination.

Before leaving office in January of 2017, President Barack Obama gave Schrager a full pardon of his conviction which “brought closure to a very painful situation”, according to the nightlife mogul.

In an interview with Billboard, Schrager asserts that this venue will be different from any of his other nightclub ventures. “You come here to be entertained, stimulated, be expanded and to try to get under one roof all those things that you previously had to go to many different venues to get,” says Schrager. “When you do a nightclub with just dancing, it has a shelf life. This doesn't because of the variety and nature of the events.”

Relive the glorious madness of Studio 54 by checking out our photo gallery here.