La Riviera (San Juan)
History • timeline • archival video • sources
History Timeline Video (Tony @ 12:16) Gallery Share info
Old San Juan nightlife archive

La Riviera Night Club — a piece of San Juan’s nightlife history.

What this page is: a fast, mobile-friendly archive hub bringing together a short history, a verified timeline, an embedded archival segment, and a clean list of public sources.

What it isn’t: gossip or a “dox dump.” This is meant to be verifiable and citation-driven.

San Juan • Puerto Rico
Notable mid-century nightlife venue
Public record + cultural references
Fast PHP micro-site

Quick history (high level)

La Riviera is referenced publicly as a prominent San Juan nightlife venue in the mid-20th century era. The club appears in photo archives and later in public-record material connected to incidents at the venue. A Puerto Rico history/architecture site describes “Club La Riviera” as a notorious nightspot across the 1950s–1970s period and also notes a closure date in 1986.

How to use this page

  • Use the Timeline as a starter map.
  • Use the Video section to jump directly to Tony’s interview (starts at ~12:16).
  • Use the Sources list to verify or expand research.
  • Use the Share info form to send leads (logged to CSV).
Watch Tony @ 12:16 Sources

Timeline (public references)

This timeline uses a small set of publicly available anchors so everything remains verifiable. You can expand it later with newspapers, scans, and oral histories.
Feb 1946
Photo archive
Historic exterior photo appears in photo archives

A well-known captioned photograph shows “La Riviera Night Club” in San Juan dated February 1946 (archival photo listing).

1950s–1970s
Local history
Notoriety as a major nightlife venue

A Puerto Rico history/architecture site describes Club La Riviera as one of the most notorious nightspots across these decades.

1983
Archival video
Documentary-style report includes interview segment

The archival upload “PROSTITUCIÓN PUERTO RICO (1983)” includes a segment featuring Tony Tursi. The interview begins around 12:16.

May 20, 1986
Closure noted
Closure date cited in local-history write-up

The Puerta de Tierra history page for “Club La Riviera” includes an official closure date of May 20, 1986.

1987
Court record
Federal court opinion references an incident at the venue

A U.S. District Court opinion describes an assault at La Riviera and references the venue/ownership in the narrative of the case.

Ongoing
Research
Add: flyers, advertisements, and oral histories

Next best upgrades: scanned flyers, local newspaper clippings, and first-person stories (logged via the form).

Archive video (starts at Tony’s segment)

Tony Tursi’s interview begins at approximately 12:16. This embed is configured to start right there.
Open on YouTube @ 12:16 Back to timeline Send a tip
Put your licensed/owned images in images/. If you license the famous 1946 exterior photo, drop it in as images/hero.jpg.
La Riviera Night Club exterior (historic)
Hero image: Use a licensed exterior photo (often cited as Feb 1946 in archives).
Old San Juan nightlife photo
Add: street scene / neighborhood context (licensed/owned).
Nightclub interior scene
Add: interior or flyer scan (licensed/owned).

Sources (verify & expand)

Keep this list tight and credible. Add PDFs/scans you own, or link to public documents.

Core public references

Image note: if you publish photos, use images you own, have permission to use, or properly license (e.g., Getty).