I can’t think of many other clubs that have as strange and storied an existence as Avalon. The club was originally a gothic church, and it still retains the stunning exterior architecture. In 1983 it became the Limelight club, which quickly gained a reputation throughout the 90s for underage drinking, violence, recreational drug use, and just general seediness.

This all came to a head in 1996 when Michael Alig, the club and party promoter, was arrested for the murder and dismemberment of a club-regular/drug dealer, an event which was dramatized in the movie Party Monster. After attempting to reopen a number of times in the 90s, the Limelight eventually changed owners and became the Avalon.

Nowadays the club is a lot less sketchy. It seems the owners realized that the church-cum-nightclub needed a rebirth of sorts (a renaissance) to repair Limelight’s horrid reputation. The architecture still remains, but the interior has been given a sizeable makeover in a glowing entryway, back-lit walls, and under-lit bars. The 20,000 square-foot club has become a clubber’s destination again, and now attracts many of the biggest named DJs. Let’s just hope Avalon can keep it clean.