Club 1234 (Montreal)

1. Club 12-34 in Montreal nightlife history

In the late 1970s, Montreal underwent a major transformation of its nightlife. Disco was no longer just a musical genre: it became a total urban culture, combining music, fashion, light, architecture, and social performance. Discotheques evolved into show-spaces where lived experience mattered as much as the sounds on the speakers.

In this context, Club 12-34 emerged as one of downtown’s most ambitious venues. Its name—taken directly from its address—worked as an easy-to-remember mnemonic signature, helping build rapid notoriety among regulars, tourists, and cultural columnists.

The anglophone press, especially The Gazette, portrayed Montreal discotheques as places where chic and profitability reinforced one another. Within that landscape, 12-34 was cited as an example of a club capable of generating both heavy traffic and a prestigious nightlife image. ¹

Club 12-34 contributed to this urban reconfiguration by offering a large-capacity space, visually spectacular and able to host substantial crowds. It belonged to the lineage of major disco projects designed to impress as much through architecture as through atmosphere.

2. From funeral to festivity: architectural conversion

Before becoming one of downtown’s most spectacular discotheques, the building at 1234 de la Montagne Street housed a funeral chapel operated by Wray-Walton-Wray. Designed to accommodate ceremonial gatherings, such places often featured distinctive architecture: high volumes, open ceilings, broad central spaces, and smooth crowd circulation. ²

Converting a space of mourning into a discotheque reflected a broader late-1970s trend, as institutional and commercial buildings were repurposed for cultural and festive uses. In the case of Club 12-34, the conversion was especially spectacular: nearly $1 million was invested to adapt the existing architecture to the needs of disco culture. ⁴

The work aimed to create a multi-level megaclub capable of welcoming up to 1,500 people. Former ceremonial spaces were restructured to include:

• a large-capacity central dance floor,
• mezzanines and observation balconies,
• multiple bars distributed throughout the venue,
• a powerful sound system,
• lighting designed to create an immersive atmosphere.

The former funeral chapel thus became a space of collective celebration, where music, dance, and staging replaced rituals of mourning. This symbolic inversion—from ceremonial silence to disco frenzy—strengthened the spectacular aura of Club 12-34.

This architectural reconfiguration was not only functional. It also helped create a strong brand image: a monumental club, impressive for its size, décor, and atmosphere. The building itself became part of the experience, shaping the visual and memorial identity of 12-34.

3. From announcement to opening: the birth of Club 12-34 (June–August 1978)

Even before its official opening, Club 12-34 was framed in the press as a major project. A notice published in Montréal-matin in June 1978 states that the new discotheque “will take the name of its address: 12-34”. ¹⁷

The announced décor relied on a deliberate contrast between old and new: certain architectural elements of the chapel, notably the stained glass, were preserved and integrated into a contemporary layout. This “sacred / disco” aesthetic was conceived as a show-décor, designed to impress patrons from the moment they stepped inside. ¹⁷

The project’s launch is associated with Gary Chown, then 26, born in Ottawa and raised in Montreal. A history graduate of Bishop’s University (Lennoxville) and a former Alouettes draft pick in 1974, Chown embodied the figure of the young promoter involved in the emerging disco scene. ¹⁷

The project also rested on a team of partners: Michael Bookalam, François Cobetto, Sol Zucherman, and Sharon Weis are identified as co-owners, while Brian Weiss served as the club’s manager. This structure reflects the collective investment model typical of late-1970s major disco clubs. ^{17, 23}

The official opening of Club 12-34 took place on August 8, 1978, a date confirmed by period promotional announcements and press coverage. The event was framed as the arrival of a new mega-discotheque downtown, designed to rival the most prestigious venues on Montreal’s disco scene. ³

From its first weeks, 12-34 attracted a large and varied clientele: young professionals, tourists, dance enthusiasts, and nightlife regulars. The spectacular nature of the venue—monumental architecture, immersive lighting, powerful sound— created a strong novelty effect that fueled word of mouth.

Early nights were described as intensely staged experiences: disco music structured the evening, while lighting effects, reflections, and crowd circulation turned the dance floor into a true social theatre.

“Disco isn’t only music—it’s a complete staging of the body, light, and the gaze.”

Club 12-34 also leaned on the event dimension of nightlife: weekend openings, themed nights, and extended hours helped build its image as a must-go destination for anyone seeking the “real” Montreal disco experience.

The opening of 12-34 came at a moment when Montreal was often described as electrified by disco. Columns spoke of an intense nightlife in which discotheques became spaces of identity performance, as much as places for dance and socializing.

3.1 An early shock: violence and temporary closure (September 1978)

Only weeks after opening, Club 12-34 was struck by a violent incident that abruptly marked the venue’s early history. On September 14, 1978, Montréal-matin reported an attempted murder inside the discotheque at 1234 de la Montagne Street, leading to an immediate closure. ¹⁸

The victim, Bob Weiss, 25, a bartender at the establishment, was shot in the liver and rushed to the Montreal General Hospital, where he was listed in intensive care. The incident occurred shortly after 3 a.m., while about fifty patrons were still inside the club. ¹⁸

According to unconfirmed information reported by the newspaper, the shooting may have been triggered by a refusal to serve alcohol after closing time, prompting a customer to pull out a firearm and shoot toward the bartender. ¹⁸

The police response was substantial: about twenty patrol cars were dispatched, several patrons were taken to Station 10 for questioning, and charges were expected in related matters. ¹⁸

The article also notes the psychological impact: three or four young women were hospitalized for nervous shock, after screaming for several minutes following the gunshot. ¹⁸

4. Size, capacity, and the megaclub economy

From the outset, the Club 12-34 was designed as a “large-format” discotheque, built to absorb crowds and monetize a disco experience rooted in staging, the mass effect, and consumption. Figures cited in the press describe a venue that was outsized for downtown: a footprint ranging from about 15,000 to 20,000 sq. ft., capacity for up to 1,500 people, and layouts engineered to sustain extremely high traffic. ^{6, 7}

This logic is typical of the late 1970s: the disco industry bets on spaces where dance becomes a central attraction, and where architecture is used to multiply viewpoints (mezzanines, balconies) and organize flows (entry lines, bars, circulation zones).

By 1979, Club 12-34 appeared regularly in Montreal’s society and fashion pages. Photo shoots, style columns, and elite social events were held at the venue, confirming its status as a prestige social space beyond its basic function as a nightclub. ¹⁹

International and local celebrities were frequently associated with evenings at the 12-34. These included film star Omar Sharif, Princess Caroline of Monaco, and Montreal Canadiens legend Guy Lafleur, whose fashionable presence— famously noted with a crocodile-skin bag—reinforced the club’s image as a chic jet-set destination. ^{21, 52}

The 12-34 thus became more than a disco: it functioned as a media stage and a space of representation, regularly used by the press to illustrate disco culture, fashion, celebrity, and downtown social spectacle. ²⁰

However, this image was not purely organic. An August 1979 investigation revealed that several nightlife columnists also worked as publicists or hosts for the very venues they covered, including Club 1234. This overlap between journalism, promotion, and nightlife marketing highlights how the club’s prestige was partly manufactured in print, not only earned on the dancefloor. ⁵³

5. Sound, light, and immersion: the nightclub as a machine

By 1978, the modern discotheque is often described as an audiovisual machine: powerful sound, “spectacular” lighting, reflective effects, haze, glossy surfaces, and the orchestration of the dancefloor. The 12-34 belongs to that generation of venues where technology becomes a marker of prestige — and a key differentiator. ^{1, 6}

Sources from 1978–1979 emphasize how “speakers and lights” transformed the space, and the scale of investment required to reach that level of immersion. ^{4, 6, 22}

« …it would be impossible to recognize the place today, so thoroughly have the speakers and lighting effects transformed the former funeral home. »

In the disco ecosystem, these kinds of systems produce a double effect: (1) dance as spectacle (a visible floor, crossed gazes, bodies staged), and (2) the crowd as attraction (the intensity of the place becomes proof of value).

In 1980, the Club 12-34 also stands out for the cost of admission. The Gazette reports that a $9 cover charge is required on Saturday nights — described as the highest in Canada at the time. Owner Sol Zuckerman explains that this price helps offset the cost of a four-colour laser system, presented as unique in the country. ²⁴

In 1980, the Club 12-34 begins a notable aesthetic shift influenced by punk and new wave. The Gazette reports that more than $100,000 is devoted to adding a punk décor, overseen by Gilles Gagné, described as “Canada’s answer to Salvador Dalí.” This hybridization of punk and disco reflects the club’s effort to adapt to the decade’s evolving cultural trends. ²⁶

6. Radio, promotion, and “event”: the club in the media

Beyond architecture and technology, disco is powered by another engine: promotion. By the late 1970s, clubs work to maintain the status of a “place to be” through mentions, nightlife columns, society pages, and sometimes explicit media collaborations.

A February 1979 notice points to a live show (a radio broadcast) from the discotheque, illustrating a strategy that turns the night into a media event: the dancefloor becomes both a broadcast set and a place to dance. ⁸

In 1979, the Club 12-34 also serves as an “event” showcase for charitable and society activities. A press notice announces a benefit gala for the Montreal Organization of Vietnamese-Cambodian Boat People, organized in collaboration with the Third World Film Festival, combining fashion shows (including collections associated with Yves Saint Laurent, Kenzo, Thierry Mugler, and Geoffrey Beene), a buffet, an auction, and a disco segment. ²⁰

By late 1980, the Club 12-34 expands its entertainment offer with spectacle attractions, including a mechanical bull. The Gazette publishes a photo showing Mike Bookalam riding it inside the club, illustrating the integration of “Urban Cowboy”–style elements into the disco experience. ²⁵

7. Entry, selection, and doormen: the club’s “frontier”

In the disco era, entering a nightclub was not a simple transition: it was a social frontier. Doormen filtered access based on dress, attitude, and perceived “vibe.” A 1981 article on club bouncers describes how admission itself became a performance: lines, unspoken negotiations, dress codes, and discretionary power. ⁹

Contemporary accounts also report practices of exclusion and discrimination. These elements are important to document not to normalize them, but to understand how access politics were part of nightlife culture. ⁹

8. Publicity, columnists, and conflicts of interest

Downtown Montreal nightlife in the late 1970s was sustained by a dense ecosystem of advertising, entertainment pages, “gossip” columns, and promotional partnerships. An August 1979 article in The Gazette discusses how certain nightlife columnists also worked as publicists for the very venues they covered. The text names the 1234 among the clubs involved—an essential clue for understanding how a venue’s reputation could be manufactured in print, not only earned on the dancefloor. ¹⁰

In a museum-style reading, this matters because the history of a club is not just music and architecture; it is also narrative: who talks about the place, how they frame it, and what interests shape that framing.

9. Disco decline, renovations, and repositioning (1980–1981)

By the early 1980s, disco was losing momentum in Montreal, and the Club 12-34 was no exception. In May 1981, The Gazette ran a revealing piece titled “Music turns sour for Disco 1234,” describing a temporary closure amid financial rumours, liquor-licence concerns, and major renovation work. ²⁷

Owner Sol Zuckerman framed the shutdown as deliberate: the club was being reworked from the inside out. The iconic light columns were removed, two bars were closed, a new mezzanine was added, and decorative greenery was introduced to shift the atmosphere. The strategy was explicit: to relaunch as a chic cocktail bar aimed at a 25–40 clientele, rather than a mass disco venue. ²⁷

The article also acknowledges financial strain. Zuckerman conceded that some rumours were grounded in reality, including bounced cheques and the absence of a bank credit line. ²⁷

The revamped venue was slated to reopen on June 9, 1981, with a more intimate, polished feel. ²⁷

By December 1981, The Gazette described Twelve 34 as a club oriented toward rock’n’roll and Motown, offering free admission and a looser vibe. The building’s funeral-chapel past is still referenced, but the original disco identity has clearly faded. ²⁸

Paradoxically, the “1234” brand retained commercial value even as disco declined. A May 1981 advertisement for a “Super Disco Train to New York” still promoted the venue as “Canada’s #1 Disco,” leveraging name recognition to sell an internationalized disco fantasy. ²⁹

The 12-34 thus becomes an emblem of the post-disco transition: a venue reshaping its identity while continuing to capitalize on the memory of an era.

10. After disco: transformations, new names, and documentary “traces” (1980s–1990s)

Like many disco-era megaclubs, the 12-34 belonged to a specific moment. By the early 1980s, both the aesthetics and the business model of disco were changing. Yet the building at 1234 Mountain Street continued to function as a nightlife address—ready to host new concepts and new identities.

10.1 1982: society nightlife and stage acts — “Disco 1234” / Twelve 34

In August 1982, a society brief places Paul Anka partying until 2 a.m. at Disco 1234 on Mountain Street and mentions a link to owner Mike Bookalam. ³⁰

In November 1982, an advertisement for a stage act titled “Knights of Illusion” (mime / magic) lists Club Twelve 34 at 1234 Mountain St., confirming that entertainment programming persisted beyond the original megadisco format. ³⁰

10.2 1984: Twelve 34 reconfigured — “Lips” (piano lounge) and “Shooter’s”

In 1984, mentions in The Gazette describe an internal reconfiguration: a piano lounge called “Lips” and a second bar identified as “Shooter’s”. The reporting also notes a semi-private section where clients could keep bottles labeled with their names—evidence of a more segmented, upscale bar experience. ³⁰

10.3 1986: L’Esprit — glamour, media strategy, and nightlife revival

In August 1986, the address regained major visibility with the reopening of the club as L’Esprit, staged as a large-scale public-relations event. ³²

Opening-night coverage highlights Grace Jones (dressed by Issey Miyake) and singer Eartha Kitt, emphasizing glamour and the desire to reposition the site as a prestigious nightlife destination. ³²

Anglophone press notes that L’Esprit occupied the former Disco 1234 site and underwent extensive renovations. The project is linked to brothers Maurice and Marc Gatien, who aimed to create a club inspired by the nightlife scene in Atlanta. ³³

In March 1992, a brief report places an incident “inside L’Esprit discotheque” at 1234 Mountain St., showing that the address remained coded as nightlife well after the disco peak. ¹¹

11. Legacy: 12-34 as a Symbol of Montreal’s Disco Era

Club 12-34 remains a landmark in the collective memory of downtown nightlife. Its trajectory — spectacular opening in 1978, the peak of the mega-disco era, post-disco transformations, the persistence of the address, and its 2004 relaunch — condenses several core themes of Montreal’s nightlife history: adaptive architecture, technology as prestige, crowd-based economics, and media narratives.

From a museum perspective, the significance of 12-34 is twofold: (1) it represents a textbook case of the “discotheque-machine” (sound, light, spatial spectacle), and (2) it illustrates the power of commercial memory — how the disco past becomes a reusable cultural asset. ^{1, 12, 13}

12. 2004: Revival, Capital, and Nostalgia — Club 12-34 “Reloaded”

In 2004, the address was revived under the name Club 12-34 through a relaunch strategy explicitly built on the site’s brand equity — the idea of reactivating a 1970s reputation and converting it into commercial value. The press reported an investment of approximately $1.5 million to reopen the club in a building with a storied past. ^{12, 13, 14}

The partners behind the project were named: Tony Loddo, Johnny Setaro, MC Mario Tremblay, and Marco Iannone (Montage Management). The strategy included leveraging a DJ/media personality to reinforce the club’s sonic identity and public visibility. ^{12, 15}

2005–2011: Violence, Gangs, and Loss of Control

By the mid-2000s, Club 1234, then owned by Giovanni Setaro, Jean Faille, and former Montreal Canadiens DJ Mario Tremblay, remained a popular nightlife destination, particularly due to the popularity of DJ MC Mario.

However, according to a report by the SPVM (Montreal police), the venue gradually became a public safety concern. Between 2005 and 2010, more than 40 violent incidents were recorded: mass brawls involving up to 50 people, stabbings, assaults on security staff, gunfire, arrests of armed individuals, and patrons falling from the second floor.

Police officers responding to incidents reported being surrounded, assaulted, bitten, and targeted with projectiles. The recurring presence of street gangs was also documented, as well as the involvement of a former manager with organized crime.

The issue of minors was of particular concern. In 2006, officers discovered between 100 and 150 teenagers aged 16–17 inside the club. In 2009, a minor was reportedly violently assaulted by a bouncer.

A scheme was allegedly put in place to allow underage patrons to enter illegally by paying a surcharge to a promoter, according to a report submitted to the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux.

In 2011, the Régie formally summoned the club’s owners, at the request of police, to evaluate the loss of control of the establishment. ⁴⁷

From Nightclub to “Supper Club”: Yoko Luna, Geisha and the Haunted Imaginary of 1234 (2013–2022)

In the spring of 2013, Club 1234, located at 1234, rue de la Montagne, officially closed its doors, marking the end of a cycle for this well-known downtown nightclub. Following the closure, DJ and co-owner MC Mario announced a new project called “5”, a name that refers both to the logical continuation of “1234” and to the structure of the concept itself, organized around five components: a restaurant, a lounge, a bistro, a bar, and a terrace. The opening was then announced for early summer 2013. ⁵⁵

After several reconfigurations, the address entered a new phase of transformation in the early 2020s. In October 2021, it was announced that Club Le CINQ, the most recent incarnation of the site, would be converted into a Japanese restaurant and supper club under the name Geisha. The project was developed by the Jegantic Hospitality Group, founded by John E. Gumbley, and reflected a deliberate repositioning of the venue toward a gastronomic and experiential model. ⁵⁶

The project materialized in 2022 with the opening of Yoko Luna, a high-end Japanese establishment of the supper club type, occupying approximately 20,000 sq ft. Official communications emphasized an “dreamlike” and immersive décor, including a whisky lounge, a cocktail bar, a large dining room, and outdoor terraces, extending the site’s long-standing role as a venue for nightlife entertainment, now framed within a contemporary gastronomic context. ⁵⁷

Alongside this promotional discourse, the earlier history of the building— originally a funeral home in the early twentieth century, later followed by several nightlife venues—has fueled a media imaginary associated with so-called “haunted” locations. An investigation published by Haunted Montreal relays employee testimonies describing unexplained phenomena (cold drafts, old music, whistling sounds, incense-like odors) and claims that exorcism rituals were performed prior to the restaurant’s official opening. ⁵⁷

The same article further asserts that the former morgue was located in the basement, in the area now occupied by the restrooms, and reports experiences described as attempts at communication with spirits. These elements, unverifiable from a historical standpoint, belong more to the narrative and folkloric register than to strict heritage documentation. ⁵⁷

From a historical perspective, these accounts primarily contribute to the construction of a symbolic memory of the site. They illustrate how the building’s funerary and later nocturnal past continues to shape its public image, even after its transformation into a contemporary gastronomic establishment. The address at 1234, rue de la Montagne thus remains marked by a superimposition of layers—funeral home, nightclub, supper club—sustaining its persistence within Montreal’s collective imagination.