It was an ordinary day. Reading about "The Village", one of the longest-lived nightclubs in Lancaster, PAs' history. It ended it's nightclub era in December of 2022 - or so it seemed. The club was then sold for nearly $2 million to an investment group that targeted the property for redevelopment. How sad! But now the 205 N. Christian St. Club - which was in operation for nearly 70 years, through three generations of co-ownership by the Photis and Patounas families - is about to be reborn. To celebrate the relaunch of The Village, here's a look at several moments from the original club's history, as seen in the LNP archives.
The German Village becomes "The Village". The Village nightclub initially occupied a location on the south-east corner of Chestnut and Christian Streets. Constructed in the early 1930s, the building originally housed the popular German Village restaurant - with the Rathskellar bar in the basement. On April 17, 1953, the venue took on a new identity as a nightclub called simply The Village. Throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s, The Village hosted a variety of local and touring bands, especially in the nascent rock 'n' roll an R&B genres. The Kit Kats, Little Duck and the Drakes and the Flamingos were among the countless bands that drew packed houses in the early years of The Village. The Rathskellar continued operations under new ownership, however, and was known as a gay-friendly establishment in the 1960s. It was closed in 1968, shortly before the Tally Ho opened as Lancaster's premier gay nightspot. A year later, The Village itself would be demolished. In the late 1960s, the trend of urban renewal came to Lanaster, as numerous old buildings - apartment houses, movie theaters, shops and bars - were read to make way for multi-level parking garages and the former Lancaster Square , now known as Binns Park and Ewell Plaza. Lost in that demolition effort was the original location of The Village. A period of legal wrangling between the club's owners and the city preceded the old venue's demise, but eventually the building was torn down to make way for the Duke Street Parking Garage. For two years Lancaster was Village-less - but that dry spell ended on August 4, 1971 when The Village re-opened at its new location at 205 N. Christian St., where it would continue operations for the next 50 years. The new building with its new state-of-the-art sound system retained the layout and feel of the original spot across the street, but with a massive change to the sound system, dance floor and lighting rig. The design was by Richard Long, who also designed sound systems for nightclubs around the country, including the famed Studio 54 in New York City. The lighting setup was described in the Sunday News as "unlike any thing experienced thus far" in Lancaster's nightlife history. The sunken dance floor was covered with 64 translucent plastic tiles with sound-sensitive lighting mounted below them so the light-up floor would pulse in different colors along with the music. Storbe lights were mounted all around the floor, and a variety of colored lighting rigs hung from the ceiling, bathing dancers, performers and the walls with color washes and projected images. A more traditional cut-glass "disco ball" - though this was well before the rise of disco - supplemented the display, as did kaleidoscope projectors and a series of psychedelic black-light murals. And...I must admit I never stepped foot in the place. By this time I was married with a few children and just didn't have the time or effort to take a trip in town to see the place. Plus my wife would have been extremely upset had I done so. And...I wouldn't have blamed her! Well, longtime Lancaster County residents might recall The Village as a hotbed of celebrity sightings in the 1980s. From "Witness" stars Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis to basketball player Charles Barkley and pop star Cindy Lauper, the club seemed to constantly generate rumors and headlines about visiting celebs. The most famous surprise celebrity event at The Village was surely the night of June 21, 1984, when Bruce Springsteen strolled into the club and amiably chatted with fans and signed autographs while the local band, "The Sharks", played on stage.
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| Bruce Springsteen as seen at "The Village"! |
The New Jersey native and his E Street Band had been at Clair Brothers in Lititz trying out a new sound and lighting system for an upcoming tour. About 200 were in the club that night when, shortly after mid-night, The Sharks abruptly cut their last set short to make way for Springsteen. The Boss - and the rest of his E Street Band jumped onto the stage, grabbed The Sharks' instruments and launched into "Out on the Street" as the crowd went wild. What followed was a 35-minute, six-song set that became legendary in the annals of Lancaster County nightlife with cassettes of the performance circulating among local fans for years afterward. I'm sorry to say I never got one! (a sidelight here would be to tell you that Roy Clair, one of the Clair Bros. and I went to Millersville State Teacher's College together and built Hi-Fi stereo sets together in the woodshop class we both were in together). A year later, Village mainstays "The Sharks" achieved national recognition thanks to a music video shot partially at the club. "On My Own," a black-and-white video featuring footage of the band at various local landmarks including The Village, was entered into MTV's "Basement Tapes" competition, in which bands from all over the country competed in multiple rounds, with the winner getting a special prize, a major-label recording contract and plenty of recording equipment. The Sharks won their preliminary round in January 1985, and clinched the final in June of the same year. The Sharks nabbed $30,000 worth of gear, plus the cost of a big-budget video to be placed into regular rotation on MTV, plus that contract with Elektra - Asylum Records - and they became the biggest band ever to come out of Lancaster County. Throughout its existence, The Village always hosted not only live bands and DJs, but also other nigh time events such as "Go-go" dancers, Bodybuiding contests, Male exotic dancers., and Drag shows. Anything that would draw a crowd of people looking to have fun was fair game for The Village calendar. The Village continued as a vital part of Lancaster's entertainment landscape, hosting local favorites and touring acts throughout the '90s and into the 21st century. And,...that light-up dance floor is still there today. Might I see you there in the future? Just kidding!! You may enjoy the place, but it's a bit to rowdy for me anymore. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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