Defunct East Village, Manhattan nightclub between early 1980's and 1991
Interior of The World, a nude Zoë Lund on the pole
The World was a large nightclub in New York City, which operated from the early 1980's until 1991 at 254 East 2nd Street, in Manhattan's East Village neighborhood. The venue, which included a secondary establishment called "The It Club," was housed in a former catering hall and theater. The World attracted a clientele that was economically, racially, and sexually diverse,[1] and included artists, celebrities, and fashion designers, such as Keith Haring, Afrika Bambaataa, Madonna, Brooke Shields, Prince, Stephen Sprouse, RuPaul, and Carolina Herrera, together with banjee boys and members of voguing houses[2]
The World operated largely outside the law, and opened and closed unpredictably. It ceased operations permanently on June 27, 1991, when co-owner Steven Venizelos was found dead in the balcony. He had been shot three times at close range. The murder was never solved.[1] The building that housed The World was subsequently demolished and replaced with an apartment building.
