The Pavilion, (originally named The Sandpiper back in the 1970′s) was destroyed last night as a fire roared through the commercial district of Fire Island Pines, the popular gay resort village on a barrier island was one of the most famous gay clubs in the world spanning over 40 years. Famous for its “high tea dances“, “low teas“, and “middle teas” it was the major destination for gay men and hosted a Who’s Who of NYC’s gay elite and men on the make during the summertime.
The Fire Island News Reports
Initial reports indicate the blaze broke out around 9:15 p.m. It quickly engulfed the Pavilion, C.F. LaFountaine, Sip N’ Twirl, the Pines Bistro and a bay front home. Walter Boss of the Fire Island Pines Fire Department confirmed to The News around 11:20 p.m. that the fire destroyed the Pavilion, La Fountaine, the Sip N’ Twirl complex that includes the Bistro and a bay front home
An unprepossessing wooden building, it hosted some of the most memorable DJs on some of their most memorable evenings. It became an incubator of what has since been dubbed “the Fire Island Sound,” and nurtured the careers of several beginning DJs.
The Pavilion was destroyed at the end of the summer of 2006 and replaced at great cost with the New Pavilion in 2007.
*sigh* More gay history gone.
