David Mancuso Residence / The Loft

“The crowd was a rich mix of classes, colors, and sexual tastes with two key things in common: they were hard-core dancers and they were utterly devoted to the Loft. Their high spirits preserved the Loft’s house party atmosphere and helped establish its reputation.”

Vince Aletti, Village Voice, 1975

The Loft, the name anointed by attendees, was an invitation-only, private house party held weekly on Saturday nights from midnight to approximately 6:00 a.m. David Mancuso (1944-2016), a resident of 647 Broadway since 1965, began the party on Valentine’s Day 1970 as a way to offset his monthly rent. The initial homemade invitation included the title “Love Saves the Day,” possibly a coded reference to LSD use. Guests paid approximately $2 (in the final year, $4) for an evening of dancing and refreshments; no alcohol was served.

Mancuso eschewed the title of DJ and referred to himself as musical host. In that capacity, he played an eclectic musical mix on his top-of-the-line, and ever improving, sound system that would maximize the experience of non-partnered dancing to music.

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