hacienda

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Fac 51 Haçienda (better known simply as The Haçienda) was a nightclub and music venue in Manchester, England. It became most famous during the “Madchester” years of the late 1980s and early 1990s, during the 1990s it was labelled the most famous club in the world by Newsweek magazine. The Haçienda opened in 1982, and despite considerable and persistent financial troubles survived until 1997 – during much of this time the club was mainly supported by record sales from New Order. The Haçienda is associated with the rise of acid house and rave music.

The warehouse formerly occupied by the club is at 11-13, Whitworth Street West on the southside of the Rochdale Canal: the frontage is curved and built of red brick. Before it was turned into a club, the Haçienda was a yacht builder’s shop and warehouse before becoming a Bollywood cinema in the 1970s, showing films to the South Asian immigrants from the Manchester area.
Originally conceived by Rob Gretton, it was largely financed by the record label Factory Records and the band New Order along with label boss Tony Wilson. It was located on the corner of Whitworth Street West and Albion Street, close to Castlefield, in the centre of the city. FAC 51 was its official designation in the Factory catalogue. New Order and Tony Wilson were directors of the club.
Designed by Ben Kelly, upon recommendation by Factory graphic designer Peter Saville, upstairs consisted of a stage, dance area, bar, cloakroom, cafeteria area and balcony with a DJ booth. Downstairs was a cocktail bar called ‘The Gay Traitor,’ which referred to Anthony Blunt, a British art historian who spied for the Soviet Union.