When Splash was founded in 1992, gay men had far fewer safe places to meet one another1. In our write-up it was still the gay nightclub in Chelsea, and nowhere else could compete with the sound, the sights and the spectacle.
It went out in August 2013, after more than two decades in Chelsea, with a week of closing events1, 2, 3. The final night, Sunday, August 11, drew hundreds to 17th Street3.
Its departure left a rare two-floor retail opportunity at 50 West 17th Street2. Today the building, twelve stories of lofts, is marketed as office space for entrepreneurs4.
Researched October 2026.