Trocadero
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- For other uses, see Trocadero (disambiguation).
Trocadero is the name of several restaurants and clubs throughout the world. The name dates to the Battle of Trocadero in southern Spain, in which a citadel held by liberal Spanish forces that was taken by the French troops sent by Charles X, in 1823, was commemorated in the Place du Trocadéro, Paris. The monumental glamor of the Parisian site has given rise to a variety of locales bearing its name.
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United Kingdom
In London the Trocadero Restaurant of J. Lyons and Co. opened in 1896 at a site on Shaftesbury Avenue, near the theatres of the West End which had been formerly occupied by the notorious Argyll Rooms, where the nobs had met the ladies of the night. The new settings were magnificent in an Opera Baroque style, and the various Trocaderos of the English-speaking world have derived their names from this original, the epitome of grand Edwardian catering. Murals on Arthurian themes decorated the grand staircase, and the Long Bar catered to gentlemen only. During the grim days of World War I, the Trocadero initiated the first "concert tea": tea was served in the Empire Hall, accompanied by a full concert programme. After the war cabaret was a feature of the Grill Room. The Trocadero closed on February 13, 1965.
The magnificent 3,400-seat Trocadero Cinema in the Elephant and Castle area of the South Bank opened in December 1930. The cinema is no more but its Wurlitzer organ, the largest ever shipped to the UK, survives.
The Trocadero in Piccadilly Circus is currently a shopping/leisure complex. It has not been very successful. The anchor attraction Sega World has closed and in 2005 it was announced that the site will be redeveloped as offices, flats and possibly a hotel.
United States
San Francisco
In San Francisco, California, at the turn of the 20th century, the Trocadero was a lively roadhouse, offering gambling at the roulette tables and dancing, as well as the best trout pond in California. It was opened in 1892, in a wooden building that had been brought round the Horn and was by reputation the first house built in San Francisco west of Twin Peaks, the "rancho" of the Greene family. The first seeds of Australian Eucalyptus had been sown here, about 1871. Appropriately, at the Trocadero Abe Ruef was found hiding, after his indictment in notorious municipal graft trials of 1907. In the 1930s Bernard Maybeck recast the Trocadero Inn into a children's playground, renamed the Sigmund Stern Grove.
"Trocadero" continued to have a connotation for San Franciscans of stylish nighttime fun. In its heyday, the late 70's and early 80's, Trocadero Transfer was regarded as the best hard-core— and largely gay— disco on the West Coast. It was among the half-dozen musical style-setters in the country.
Los Angeles
In West Hollywood, California, the Trocadero Ballroom was the center of jitterbug in the 1930s. Today Trocadero is a nightclub at 8610 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. A black tie French-inspired supper club, the Trocadero was considered the jewel of the Strip in the 1930s and became synonymous with stars, starlets, movie producers and fun. It was also the scene of many famous movie premiere parties.
Among the celebrities who frequented the Trocadero were Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Cary Grant, Myrna Loy and Norma Shearer. The Trocadero was featured in the 1937 movie A Star Is Born starring Janet Gaynor and Fredric March.
Philadelphia
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Trocadero Theatre opened in 1870, offering musical comedies, then vaudeville and burlesque and later still it was refurbished for use as an art house cinema and fine arts theatre. In 1986, the Trocadero was again remodeled for its current use as a concert hall and dance club. The Trocadero is currently owned by House of Blues and hosts many of their promoted shows. However, it still retains a promoting team itself. The theater usually books lesser-known Heavy Metal, Punk Rock and Industrial/Gothic bands. Hip-Hop has also made appearances there, as has Rock & Roll bands.
Ballet company
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, an all-male drag ballet corps parodying the clichés of romantic and classical ballet, was founded by American choreographer Peter Anastos and drew its name from the "Troc". Now the "Trocs" tours the world.
Australia
In Sydney, Australia, the Sydney Trocadero opened with a full-dress gala in January 1936. It was the main venue of Big Band jazz orchestras, with the resident Trocadero Orchestra under the baton of Frank Coughlan, and the All Girl Trocadero Band.
Canada
In Edmonton, Alberta, the Trocadero Ballroom opened on New Year's Eve 1946, offering a large dance floor, balcony seating, and a large stage, to the sounds of Big Band jazz.
External links
- Trocadero Restaurant in London (http://www.kzwp.com/lyons/troc.htm)
- Auditorium of the Trocadero Cinema (http://svr61.ehostpros.com/~cossdc61/reedpipes/main%20pages/history.htm)
- Trocadero Transfer in San Francisco (http://www.hyperactivemedia.com/5am/)