Latin Casino
Retailer / private label
UnclaimedA Philadelphia-area dinner nightclub and concert venue that became known as the Latin Casino after relocating to Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Latin Casino was a prominent Philadelphia-area nightclub, dinner theater, and live-entertainment venue rather than a gambling casino. Its origins trace to a supper club opened in Center City Philadelphia by Jack Price and Arthur Friedman in the early 1940s. The venue initially operated under the name Latin, or The Latin, at 1309 Walnut Street and became a popular destination for dinner, drinks, and performances by nationally recognized entertainers. Its location in Center City placed it within Philadelphia's established nightlife district, but the club eventually outgrew its original premises. The business was acquired in 1951 by Stanley and Bea Carroll, David Dushoff, and Daniel "Dallas" Gerson. Under their ownership, the club faced practical and regulatory pressures in Philadelphia, including restrictive liquor rules, disagreements with municipal authorities, limited parking, and the physical constraints of its downtown site. In 1960, the owners moved the operation across the Delaware River to 2235 Route 70 in Delaware Township, New Jersey, an area that soon became Cherry Hill. The new facility was substantially larger—described as having approximately 1,500 seats—and was designed as a plush, Las Vegas-influenced dinner theater. The relocated venue adopted the name Latin Casino, although it did not offer casino gambling. The Cherry Hill Latin Casino developed a reputation as an upscale showroom and was promoted as the "Showplace of the Stars." Its format combined meals, alcoholic beverages, banquets, conventions, and variety entertainment. The stage hosted singers, comedians, jazz and rhythm-and-blues performers, pop acts, and touring entertainers. Among the artists associated with the venue were Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Harry Belafonte, Richard Pryor, Jerry Lewis, Milton Berle, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, Tony Bennett, Liza Minnelli, Tom Jones, Donna Summer, B.B. King, Gladys Knight & the Pips, The Temptations, The Supremes, Joan Rivers, Don Rickles, and many others. Richard Pryor's 1975 album ...Is It Something I Said? was recorded at the venue, and the site also became associated with important live performances by a wide range of artists. Latin Casino's food-and-entertainment model reflected the broad popular culture of mid-century American supper clubs. Its menu offered conventional American-style appetizers, soups, salads, steaks, lobster, vegetables, desserts, and after-dinner drinks, alongside a Chinese kitchen and a Polynesian dinner option. The venue also marketed its rooms for large private functions, including banquets, conventions, trade shows, and fundraising events. By the late 1970s, traditional nightclubs and dinner theaters were facing declining demand, while the emergence of Atlantic City casinos threatened entertainment venues in the wider region. In 1978, Latin Casino was converted into a disco called Emerald City. The conversion included a reported neon lighting installation over the dance floor costing more than one million dollars. The venue subsequently shifted toward rock programming and presented established and emerging acts, including The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, The Ramones, Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, Alice Cooper, Madonna, The B-52's, The Go-Go's, Squeeze, Joan Jett, Dire Straits, UB40, Cyndi Lauper, The Cure, and Prince. The Cure played its first United States show at the venue on April 10, 1980. The building was destroyed by fire and demolished in the mid-1980s. The property was later used for Subaru of America's headquarters, which opened there in 1986. The former Subaru complex was demolished in 2019 after the company had moved its headquarters to Camden. Latin Casino's cultural legacy has continued through recorded performances, local memories, and depictions of the venue in popular culture; the club was recreated as a setting for a scene in Martin Scorsese's 2019 film The Irishman.
History
The venue's history began in the early 1940s, when Jack Price and Arthur Friedman opened a supper club with entertainment in Center City Philadelphia. Friedman, a United States Army veteran, was able to obtain the liquor license needed for the operation. The club was initially known as Latin and operated at 1309 Walnut Street, near the city's established nightlife corridor. It became a popular dinner and entertainment destination during the following decade, presenting prominent singers, comedians, jazz musicians, and variety performers. In 1951, ownership passed to Stanley and Bea Carroll, David Dushoff, and Daniel "Dallas" Gerson. The new owners expanded the club's entertainment profile, but the Philadelphia location posed several constraints. Pennsylvania liquor regulations, friction with city officials, inadequate parking, and the limitations of the relatively small premises made continued growth difficult. The club also needed a larger room for the star performers and audiences it was attracting. The owners moved the business across the Delaware River in 1960. The replacement facility stood at 2235 Route 70 in Delaware Township, New Jersey, an area later renamed Cherry Hill. It was built as a roughly 1,500-seat, Las Vegas-style dinner theater and was considerably larger than the Philadelphia club. The name changed from Latin to Latin Casino, but the venue was not a gambling establishment. Its business centered on dinner, drinks, celebrity entertainment, and large private functions. The location near major regional attractions and transportation routes helped it draw customers from Philadelphia, South Jersey, and the surrounding metropolitan area. The Cherry Hill club became known as the Showplace of the Stars. Its showroom hosted a wide range of major entertainers, including Harry Belafonte, Jimmy Durante, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Richard Pryor, Jerry Lewis, Milton Berle, Lena Horne, Pearl Bailey, Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, The Temptations, The Supremes, Liza Minnelli, Tom Jones, Donna Summer, B.B. King, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Joan Rivers, and Don Rickles. The venue also provided a stage for younger or locally connected performers and became part of the entertainment ecosystem around Cherry Hill. Richard Pryor recorded the 1975 album ...Is It Something I Said? there. The club's history included several widely recalled incidents. Brenda Lee suffered a neck injury during a performance in 1962 and later recovered. On September 29, 1975, Jackie Wilson suffered a massive heart attack onstage during a Dick Clark show and collapsed while singing "Lonely Teardrops." He was transported to Cherry Hill Hospital, became comatose, and subsequently remained in institutional care until his death. Other stories associated with the venue involved attempts by fans to reach performers and celebrities, illustrating the close relationship between the club and its audiences. The supper-club model weakened during the 1970s as entertainment tastes changed and Atlantic City prepared to become a major casino market. In 1978, the property was converted into Emerald City, a disco designed around a large neon light show reported to have cost more than one million dollars. The business later moved from disco toward rock concerts. This phase brought an additional generation of performers to the site, including The Rolling Stones, James Brown and the Famous Flames, Aerosmith, The Ramones, Ultravox, Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, Alice Cooper, Madonna, The B-52's, The Go-Go's, Squeeze, Joan Jett, Dire Straits, The Romantics, UB40, Joe Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, The Psychedelic Furs, George Thorogood & the Destroyers, Blue Öyster Cult, and Prince. The Cure played its first United States show there on April 10, 1980. The building was eventually destroyed by fire and torn down in the mid-1980s. Subaru of America later developed the property as its headquarters, opening the facility in 1986. Subaru moved its headquarters to Camden in 2018, and the former headquarters complex was demolished in May 2019. The Latin Casino has remained part of regional music history through live recordings, performer biographies, local recollections, and screen representation. In 2019, the venue was recreated for a scene in Martin Scorsese's film The Irishman.
- 2019
The former site is demolished and the club is recreated on film
[1]The former Subaru complex is demolished, while the Latin Casino is recreated for The Irishman.
- 1986
Subaru headquarters opens on the site
[1]Subaru of America opens a headquarters complex on the former Latin Casino property.
- 1980
The Cure makes its United States debut at the club
[1]The Cure performs its first United States show at the Emerald City venue on April 10.
- 1978
The venue becomes Emerald City
[1]Latin Casino is converted into a disco with a costly neon light installation.
- 1975
Jackie Wilson collapses onstage
[1]Jackie Wilson suffers a heart attack during a Dick Clark show at the venue.
- 1962
Brenda Lee is injured during a performance
[1]Brenda Lee suffers a neck injury onstage and later recovers.
- 1960
The club moves to Cherry Hill
[1]The operation relocates to a new 1,500-seat dinner theater on Route 70 and adopts the Latin Casino name.
- 1951
New ownership takes control
[1]Stanley and Bea Carroll, David Dushoff, and Daniel "Dallas" Gerson purchase the nightclub.
- 1944
The Latin begins operations
[1]The venue is identified as opening as the Latin at 1309 Walnut Street in Philadelphia.
- 1943
A Philadelphia supper club opens
[1]Jack Price and Arthur Friedman establish a Center City Philadelphia supper club combining food with live entertainment.
Products and positioning
A premium Philadelphia-area entertainment destination combining dinner, drinks, celebrity performances, and large private events. After its 1978 conversion, the venue was repositioned first as a high-production disco and later as a rock-oriented concert club.
Live entertainment venue · 1960
Latin Casino dinner theater
The Cherry Hill incarnation was a large dinner theater offering meals, drinks, and headline entertainment in a polished showroom setting. It was designed for celebrity acts and regional audiences and also promoted itself for banquets, conventions, trade shows, and fundraising events. Despite its name, it did not provide casino gambling.
Food and event service · 1960
Latin Casino restaurant and banquet service
The venue's food service used a broad American menu with appetizers, soups, salads, steaks, lobster, vegetables, desserts, and drinks. It also offered Chinese dishes and a Polynesian dinner option. The operation was structured to serve ordinary entertainment customers as well as large private groups and formal events.
Disco and rock club · 1978
Emerald City
Introduced in 1978, Emerald City replaced the traditional dinner-club format with a disco built around a high-impact neon lighting system. After the initial disco period, the venue increasingly presented rock and alternative acts, becoming a concert club for both established artists and rising performers.
Brand decisions
1978
Conversion to Emerald CityStrategyBackground
Traditional nightclubs were under pressure from changing entertainment habits, and Atlantic City's developing casino market increased competition for nightlife spending.
Action taken
The owners converted Latin Casino into a disco called Emerald City and installed a large neon light show.
Aftermath
The venue later shifted from disco to rock programming and hosted a broad roster of major touring acts before closing and being demolished.
Reported cost of neon light installation. more than $1 million (1978)
1960
Relocation and expansion into a larger dinner theaterStrategyBackground
The Philadelphia venue had limited space and parking, while its owners faced restrictive liquor rules and difficulties with city authorities.
Action taken
The owners moved the nightclub to Route 70 in Delaware Township, later Cherry Hill, and built a much larger Las Vegas-style showroom.
Aftermath
The relocated business became a major regional celebrity-entertainment venue under the Latin Casino name.
Sources1 sources
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