The Riviera

Ben Marden opened the Riviera in 1931 on Hudson Terrace, Fort Lee, NJ. Thanksgiving Day in 1936 a fire completely destroyed the nightclub. Building from the ground up Ben Marden opened the new Riviera in June 1937. Featured in the 1941 Architectural Digest this state of the art building had a retractable roof, a rotating stage, and glass windows that opened from the ceiling down to the floor. During the early years of World War II, the Riviera was closed due to rationing.
Following this closure in 1946, the Riviera opened under new ownership. Bill Miller, bought the club for $500-700,000. With a seating capacity of 1,000, the Riviera could earn over $100,000 a week.The nightclub closed by eminent domain to construct Palisades Interstate Parkway. Sunday, October 4, 1953, Eddie Fisher and Henny Youngman performed the Riviera's show. Miller receiving $758,000 compensation for his property.