The Florentine Gardens was a

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Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

, at 5955

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, opened on December 28, 1938, by restaurateur Guido Braccini. The building was designed by architect Gordon B. Kaufmann and featured a European garden motif. Manager and emcee

Nils Granlund Nils T. Granlund (September 29, 1890–April 21, 1957) was an American show producer, entertainment industry entrepreneur and radio industry pioneer. He was a publicist for Marcus Loew who formed Loews Theatres and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). ...

. Nils Thor Granlund (known as N.T.G.) had been a radio announcer, as well as a promoter and producer of live shows in New York. He became manager and emcee of the club and brought in big bands and well-known performers including The Mills Brothers, the Ink Spots, Sophie Tucker, and fan dancer Sally Rand. The original Florentine Gardens was a restaurant serving Italian food that also offered dancing and live entertainment – often of the burlesque variety. The venue seated over 1000 patrons for dinner and was popular with American servicemen on leave in Hollywood during World War II. Dance performances at the club helped launch the careers of actors Gwen Verdon and Yvonne DeCarlo. Sixteen-year-old Norma Jeane Baker (

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

) met 22-year-old defense plant worker Jim Dougherty at the Florentine Gardens and the couple held their wedding reception at the venue in June 1942. The club closed in 1948 and new owners renamed it The Cotton Club. It later became a club featuring scantily clad dancers, was a Salvation Army outpost, a dental school, salsa club, and hip hop club. Avalon Attractions started booking acts at the “New Florentine Gardens” in 1981, featuring such acts as

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

, X,

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, Circle Jerks,

Fear Fear is an intensely unpleasant emotion in response to perceiving or recognizing a danger or threat. Fear causes physiological changes that may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the threat. Fear ...

, and

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. Owner Kenneth MacKenzie fought efforts by the City of Los Angeles to demolish the club in 2005 to build a new fire station.

Notable performers

References

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