The Palace (Hollywood Music Venue and Nightclub/1982-2002)

The Palace — Hollywood Vintage Club Tee

From 1982 to 2002, The Palace at 1735 N. Vine Street was one of Hollywood’s great concert venues and dance clubs—a huge old theater where rock stars, punks, club kids, and creatures of the night all eventually found their way onto the same dance floor.

The building itself had already lived several lives. Originally opened as the Hollywood Playhouse in 1927, it later became a radio and television theater and, in the 1960s, the home of the television variety show The Hollywood Palace. By the early ’80s, it had been transformed into The Palace, complete with a massive dance floor, balcony, multiple bars, and full concert stage.

And the list of people who played there is ridiculous. Prince, Tina Turner, Oingo Boingo, Beastie Boys, Nirvana, Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins and countless others passed through the Palace during its two-decade run.

It wasn't just a concert hall, either. The Palace was a proper nightclub, hosting dance nights, DJs, special events, and parties that could fill the enormous old theater until the early hours. Even legendary house DJ Frankie Knuckles worked the room.

The Palace also earned a permanent footnote in punk history on August 6, 1996, when the Ramones played their final concert there, ending a 22-year career on the stage at 1735 Vine.

In 2002, The Palace closed and the historic building began another chapter as Avalon Hollywood. The theater survived, but for twenty years the name on the marquee was simply THE PALACE.