53-year-old real estate developer and man about town Aby Rosen is taking on what may be his most glamorous project ever, a $20 million dollar restoration of the old Diamond Horseshoe in the basement of the Paramount Hotel. Rosen, whose real estate company owns the Lever House, the Seagram Building, and the Gramercy Park Hotel, has now decided to combine his developer skills with his love of nightlife and art in an attempt to revive the Horseshoe, a once fabled nightclub and cabaret from the late 1930s and early '40s that was known for "cheap food and drinks and scantily clad chorus girls." Hubba hubba. The space has barely been used since, save for an Andy Warhol banquet after his death and a Conde Nast party in the 1980s.
Now Rosen, who owns the hotel, has partnered with Sleep No More maven Randy Weiner to restore the club and boy do they have a plan to do it right. From the Times: "Guests will be met by a butler and led through a haze of fog and drumbeats into a mysterious chamber. Servers will pass with hunks of meat on spears, and acrobats from the Montreal circus troupe, 7 Fingers, will gyrate throughout the room."
But what makes you think he can pull it off? How about six items from his New York Times profile that should convince you.
· "I wake up every morning and I think, 'You know what, I'm a lucky bastard" - Aby RosenThe restoration of the Paramount Hotel is expected to be completed this fall.
· At his recent birthday party, "Mr. Rosen was gyrating on the dance floor to Kool and the Gang, silver hair flowing, fist in the air. At midnight, a shower of gold confetti rained from overheard."
· "I enjoy the burger joint the same way I enjoy fancy meals. I spend time with people who are movers and shakers, and others who are just friends I really care for. Some of them are rich, some of them are poor. I couldn't care less. I'm not a snob." - Aby Rosen
· Guests at his dinner parties in his 14-room apartment include Barbara Walters, Alex Rodriguez, and Harvard professor Steven Pinke
· "If you give a party, you better give it right." - Aby Rosen
· You invite people not to be the center of attention, you invite them because you want them to share in a great night."- Aby Rosen
· Making His Life the Party [NYT]
· All Nightlife Coverage [~ENY~]