Holding Out For A Hiro (Ballroom)
Located in the Maritime Hotel at 371 West 16th Street & 9th Avenue, the Hiro Ballroom was a multipurpose venue that hosted a variety of LGBTQ parties, concerts & events, such as performances by artists Beth Ditto, Sia, & Lady Gaga & parties like Butt Magazine's Halloween Night & the recurring gay Sunday night party Cuckoo Club.
Hiro Ballroom was a 2-story subterranean dance hall loved by hipsters & midtowners alike situated within the Maritime Hotel, a boutique nautical-themed resort that was owned by Eric Goode & Sean Macpherson. Hiro first opened its doors in 2004 & served as a multipurpose venue, hosting a wide variety of concerts, performances, parties, & other events. Artists who performed at Hiro were often indie darlings such as Cat Power, Ratatat, Girl Talk, Justice, Metric & more.
Phil M. described Hiro Ballroom thus: "If I told you that there were models swinging from the ceiling on giant gossamer scarves, would you believe me? Hunkered in the bowels of the Maritime hotel, Hiro is a Japanese-themed nightclub with a wooden milieu. I mean wooden literally—the walls & ceilings are made [of] curved dark-wood rails, providing not only a warm atmosphere, but a symmetrical (& appropriately nautical) one. There are 2 levels—the downstairs area is home to tables, a couple of bars, & an open central area with comfortable seating. This is the area reserved for those feeling the music, as well as the effects of any recreational pharmaceuticals recently ingested. The upstairs is more compact, with booths & plenty of space around the bar to talk with friends."
During its existence, Hiro Ballroom hosted a wide assortment of notable LGBTQ events. In 2009, for example, Marc Jacobs' Fashion Week after-party took place at Hiro & featured a performance from Lady Gaga. Queer celebrities in attendance ran the gamut from Alexander Wang to Mario Testino. In 2010, the Anthology Film Archives held a celebratory evening at Hiro honoring the work of queer filmmaker Kenneth Anger. In 2011, 2(x)ist Underwear held its fashion runway show & party at Hiro. Here’s what Out Magazine had to say: “The show was what one comes to expect from 2(x)ist—models with chiseled features & even more chiseled bodies in colorful & revealing underpants. 2(x)ist delivered the whole package (with a lot of big packages). Casting must be tough, eh?”
Hiro also saw many queer musicians perform there, including the bisexual Sia, who performed there in 2007, the glam-rock band Roma!, fronted by Kenyon Phillips, & Beth Ditto of The Gossip, who played there in 2010.
Hiro Ballroom hosted numerous LGBTQ recurring & one-off parties as well. According to Rich S: "The Sunday night gay party in this space rocks. No cover, awesome space, & packed. Lots of cute guys." The Sunday party likely referenced here was 2007’s Cuckoo Club, which was hosted by Erich Conrad, Lincoln Palsgrove and the Trinity and was described by EJ Samson as THE “downtown-posh gay soiree to attend”. Cuckoo Club was attended by drag queens & queer nightlife celebs like Britney Houston, Sahara Davenport & Linda Simpson, among others. Another well-documented gay party at Hiro was Butt Mag's Club Butt Halloween Night, held there in 2010.
Butt Magazine’s post-party writeup described it thus: “Our CLUB BUTT Halloween party this weekend was such a massive success that the NYC crew all called in sick yesterday & stayed at home in bed nursing hangovers. Many of our guests also emailed us yesterday to say it was the best Halloween they'd had in years. One of the major reasons for the party's success was Hiro Ballroom, gorgeously decorated with real trees & crinkling leaves strewn all over the dance floor. Since the space holds approximately 1500 people, our usual issues with ultra-long lines were also kept to a minimum. The party was packed with hot Buttheads in both classic & creative costumes - we saw lots of ghosts, vampires, & mummies, as well as a young man in an amazing copper costume which featured a headpiece with working video screen showing experimental videos he made. Andrew Butler of Hercules & Love Affair manned the decks in the early part of the evening, playing sexy disco rarities, & after his bandmate Kim Ann Foxman performed her solo single 'Creature' with a team of hot vogue dancers, DJ Honey Dijon took over DJing duties, playing house till the end of the night.”
In 2011 the Maritime Hotel owners announced they'd put Hiro Ballroom on the market, as the space languished in its latter years. It officially closed in March 2012.
Matthew Sawicki (@witchandfamous) wrote about Hiro: “Was the best job I had! Every week was amazing—couldn’t keep up with the celebrities!”
Butchfemme Equilibrium (@casual_observation_) mentioned: “Yes…And @honeydijon used to BRING it. 🔥”
Kyle McCarthy (@kmacc76) recalled the Butt Magazine bash at Hiro Ballroom, simply stating: “Such a hot party.”
Many thanks to @adambaran for suggesting the site!