How do you open a new club when the local community board seems determined to quell the spread of nightlife? The Pink Elephant’s solution: Build it inside another club that’s already there. “We really wanted to be on 27th Street,” says David Graziano, part owner of the club, which had been in the meatpacking district (where it was known for attracting Bruce Willis and his posse). Meanwhile, Crobar had unused space in their block-through building. So the Elephant moved in (it opens March 2). It’s still Crobar’s lease, the partners split the expenses, and the Elephant didn’t have to file for a liquor or cabaret license. Plus, with an entrance on 27th, it got to keep its identity. “Most people who go to Crobar aren’t even going to know that we exist,” says Graziano. Michelle Solomon, district manager of Community Board 4, is not pleased by the nesting-doll tactic (the board recently nixed a plan to add a club atop Scores). “Nightclub rush hour lasts from 11 p.m. until 4 a.m.,” she says, generating “sleep-shattering horn-honking.”

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• Archive: “Intelligencer Features”
• Articles by Emma Rosenblum