Riviera is an old term for the coast of Liguria, now used specifically for the French Riviera and the Italian Riviera. For coastal areas popular with tourists that may be called rivieras, see Riviera.
Riviera may also refer to:
The tale of the Riviera began in 1931, the same year the George Washington Bridge first forged its link between the bright lights of Manhattan and the tree-shaded suburbs of Bergen County. In that year the renowned nightclub entrepreneur Ben Marden bought a cliff-top hotel in Fort Lee called the Villa Richard.
- 3Arts and entertainment
Places[edit]
- French Riviera, in Monaco and part of France
- Italian Riviera, in Genoa's region, Italy
- Portuguese Riviera, in Cascais/Estoril coast, Portugal
- Riviera (district), Switzerland
- Riviera (Ticino), a municipality in Switzerland
- Riviera, Gauteng, a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa
- Riviera, Texas, an unincorporated community
- La Riviera, Sacramento County, California, a census-designated place
- Riviera Ridge, Antarctica
- 1426 Riviera, an asteroid
In business[edit]
- Riviera (nightclub), formerly outside of New York City in Fort Lee, New Jersey
- Riviera (hotel and casino), former resort on the Las Vegas Strip
- Riviera Holdings, the operator of the Riviera Casino
- Riviera Broadcast Group, the owner and operator of three radio stations in the Phoenix, Arizona market
- Riviera Line, a local English railway line that links Exeter with Torbay
- Riviera, a brand of cigarettes produced by Commonwealth Brands
- Riviera, a model of guitar manufactured by Epiphone
- Buick Riviera, an American luxury car built from 1963–1999
- SIAI-Marchetti FN.333 Riviera, an Italian luxury flying boat
Arts and entertainment[edit]
Film and television[edit]
- Riviera (TV series), a British thriller series
- Riviera, one of several names under which the film La spiaggia (1954) was released
Music[edit]
- 'Riviera' (song), a 1956 song
- The Rivieras, a 1960s rock and roll group
- Jake Riviera, music producer
Other[edit]
- Riviera (sculpture), a work by Anthony Caro formerly at Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle, Washington, US
- Riviera, VIT University, the annual international sports and cultural carnival of the Vellore Institute of Technology
- Riviera: The Promised Land, a Wonderswan Color role-playing game
Buildings in the United States[edit]
- Riviera Apartments (Baltimore, Maryland), an apartment building on the National Register of Historic Places
- The Riviera (Boston, Massachusetts), an apartment building on the National Register of Historic Places
- Astro Theater, Omaha, Nebraska, originally named The Riviera, on the National Register of Historic Places
- Riviera Theatre (North Tonawanda, New York), an entertainment venue on the National Register of Historic Places
- Riviera Theatre, a concert venue in Chicago, Illinois
Ships[edit]
- HMS Riviera, a seaplane tender in the First World War, a trainer and transport in the Second, as well as a fast Cross-Channel steamer
- MS Riviera, a cruise ship
- SS Reina del Mar, a cruise ship later renamed Riviera
Other uses[edit]
- Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, California, notable for its golf course
- Riviera Football League, an Australian rules football league (1986–2003)
- Riviera LRT Station, Singapore
See also[edit]
The Riviera was a nightclub in Fort Lee, New Jersey, just outside of New York City, from 1931 to 1953. For most of its history it was located overlooking the Hudson River adjacent to the George Washington Bridge.[1][2][3][4][5]
History[edit]
The Riviera was first opened by Ben Marden in 1931[4][6] in Fort Lee on Hudson Terrace, near Myrtle Avenue[3] near the George Washington Bridge. The first Riviera building burned to the ground on Thanksgiving night, 1936.[3][4]
Marden reopened the Riviera, at a location closer to the George Washington Bridge, in June 1937.[3] Its new building, which featured in 1941 in Architectural Digest, was a 'state-of-the-art architectural wonder,'[3] and had a retractable roof, a rotating stage, and glass windows which slid down to the floor. It was a forerunner of Las Vegas hotels and used to also be a casino.[6] The Riviera closed during rationing at the start of the early years of World War II, and was re-opened in 1946 by Bill Miller, father of reporter Judith Miller,[3][6] who bought the club for $500-700,000.[1] It had a capacity of over 900, and could earn over $100,000 a week.[6]
The land that the nightclub was on was deemed necessary to make way for the Palisades Interstate Parkway, including the surrounding parkland, and the Riviera was forced to close.[6][3][1]
It closed permanently on Sunday, October 4, 1953 with Eddie Fisher and Henny Youngman performing on the closing night.[6] It was demolished in 1954[3] with Miller receiving $758,000 compensation for his property.[1]
Performers[edit]
Among those who appeared at the Riviera were Frank Sinatra, Tony Martin, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Sammy Davis Jr., Marge Champion, Joe E. Lewis, Sophie Tucker, Harry Richman and Eddie Fisher.[6][1][3]
Bibliography[edit]
Riviera Casino Deaths
Austin, Tom; Kase, Ronald J. (2011). Bill Miller's Riviera: America's showplace in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Charleston, SC: History Press. ISBN9781609494568. OCLC754389858. (144 pages)
References[edit]
Riviera Casino Colorado
- ^ abcdeCoutros, Evonne (April 2008). 'That Was Show Biz: Bill Miller's Riviera nightclub was a stage for top talent'. (201) Magazine. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
- ^Wander, Eric (18 February 2011). 'From the Archives: The Riviera Night Club'. Fort Lee, NJ Patch. Patch Media. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
- ^ abcdefghiPiccirillo, Ann (4 March 2011). 'Fort Lee's Famed Riviera'. Fort Lee, NJ Patch. Patch Media. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
- ^ abcAustin, Tom; Kase, Ronald J. (2011). Bill Miller's Riviera: America's showplace in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Charleston, SC: History Press. ISBN9781609494568. OCLC754389858. (144 pages)
- ^Kelley, Tina (12 December 2002). 'Bill Miller, 98, an Impresario In the Golden Age of Las Vegas'. The New York Times. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
- ^ abcdefg'Riviera, At Top of Coin-Making Career, Fades Away, Victim of New Highway'. Variety. October 7, 1953. p. 2. Retrieved October 12, 2019 – via Archive.org.
