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Disco Music > Discotheques and Clubs Index > Binghampton's Ferry Boat
Binghampton's Ferry Boat
1725 River Road, Edgewater, New Jersey
Owned by former politician Nelson Gross, who was abducted and assassinated by some crack heads on 1997. His family still owns and operates it.
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BINGHAMPTON'S was a REAL FERRY BOAT that over a century ago went from Hoboken, New Jersey to New York City. Located docked on the Hudson River. After the opening of the Lincoln Tunnel, it soon went out of service. In 1967, real estate developer, and State Senator Nelson Gross bought it. Unable to do anything with it, in late 1974 he permanently docked it on the Hudson River in Edgewater, New Jersey. The three story boat opened as a DISCO and Restaurant. Walking on a real "gang plank" to get on board, the BOAT would rock with the Hudson River's current. On rainy days, every one felt the effects just like if you were in the middle of the River! People would simply vomit over the sides. The bottom deck had a large dance floor on either side(where cars used to be parked). It's interior was that of a 1900's RIVER BOAT, with everything in BRASS. IT looked like a real BOAT, ready to hit the waterway. The simple reasoning for the decor was extremely obvious, this was a REAL BOAT!!
Eddie "The Worm" Rothstein was the deejay from day one until it's violent closing. He would set up an impressive mobile system on either of the Dance Floors during the weekends. He then pumped out his fantastic musical selections throughout both sides of the bottom deck. This guy really knew his stuff. He played a wide variety, and a huge number of records. He was known for short, quick, accurate cut mixes. The huge crowds would sometimes over-whelm and engulf him.
Up the stairs was another DISCO, that featured LIVE acts throughout the entire week. Every DISCO act from the early days, appeared there. It also had a fifty table Surf and Turf Restaurant. This DECK was always open, with a Deejay booth right along the top of the stairs, enclosed by painted, rustic glass that gave the deejay a great view of the two dance floors, the stairway, the kitchen and the western exterior of the BOAT. It had a clear vision line of the enormous parking lot. There was enough parking for 1200 cars! That was always used by the valet drivers, with self-parking along River Road or in the ALCOA Aluminum factory next door. Pete Denis was the deejay upstairs, he was the "re-mixer" who learned from THE WORM. He was into slower, timing mixes, that would play synchronized for a longer period of introduction. Pete was from the local area, and his following was enough business to justify the DISCO being open the seven nights. The third deejay who would give Pete and Eddie nights off was Ed Scott who also worked in the BRIAR PATCH and LE COCU. What made the BOAT special were the incredible amount of people who were there on a nightly basis. There were all races and nationalities there, all DISCO lovers were allowed in. As for what happened to THE BOAT, read in DISCO HISTORY 101 the story of its unfortunate demise! I end by saying, that for a twenty year-old heterosexual male in the greater New York/New Jersey Metropolitan area in the mid-70's, THIS WAS THE PLACE TO BE!!! Never forget it as long as I live!!
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COMMENTS ON THIS DISCO / DISCOTHEQUE / NIGHTCLUB
I remember being there the night of the infamous fight. It was scary. This place was da bomb, always full of cute guys, and the music was even better then those "great" clubs in the City. The Worm and Pete Denis spun a web that few escaped from. Their music was the latest, and their mixing was out of this world. Great memories!
Thanxs, that night of the "riot" not fight, was unbelievable. Check out HISTORY 101 to find out the insider's point of view. Now, while the "WORM" and I did spin the latest music, even before MOST New York City Clubs; BINGHAMPTON'S, held about 600 downstairs, and another 200-300 upstairs. So on a weekend night we held around a thousand people. There was no light show,per say, and the sound system, though loud, left a lot to be desired. So comparing us to the "great" clubs across the river is unfair. They were bigger and better, even though you are right about the music and the mixing. I do agree, that the memories from "The Boat" are very special. TINA CHARLES and the SILVER CONVENTION played there weeks after the release of their great hits. Those were fantastic memories for sure.
When I was visiting my cousin in Fort Lee, in 1976, she took me there several times. It was the first time I saw and heard a LIVE remix. It was amazing how this deejay extended and created a NEW version of the same songs each night. In all the years that followed, no one ever came close to the magic this deejay created.
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