It’s not often that you hear about a shuttered club revisiting its old haunts, even for a night. But that’s exactly what is happening, when Jesse Zuefle, former owner of Club Diablo, takes over the House of Charm at 517 Washington Street for one night only.
It’s been ten years since Club Diablo slammed its doors shut, but there is still a large fanbase lurking about. Zuefle once had a devote following during the club’s heyday, as he was an institution unto himself thanks to years working at famed establishments such as The Continental. And similar to the annual Continental reunions, Zuefle feels that it’s time to revisit some of the memorable times that were had by the likes of Buffalo’s goth and punk rockers.
I spoke to Zuefle who was all too happy to recount his days in the bar industry. “It’s been ten years since Diablo closed,” he said. “This is the first time that I’ve done anything like this. People are still talking about it. They’re always talking about the club and asking when I’m going to do something. I put my time in. I started early – I was a bouncer at Essex, and did a little bartending. Then I quit drinking at 23. I worked at Marcella, Asbury Alley, The Sanctuary, and then I opened Second Skin (retail) on Hertel, which I then moved to Allentown with the intention of opening a bar. But it was blocked by the Days Park block club, and then the Allentown Association withdrew their support. That was unfortunate because I would have been a good neighbor – I rehabbed the building (260 Allen). But they fought it, so I decided to sell the building in 2002.
“I bought a building on Washington Street (before the Diablo building) at a City auction with a friend named Mike, but it needed way too much work. We had been trying to open a bar for a decade. A couple of us once tried to buy The Continental, but that didn’t work out. I realized that I needed a building that had previously been a bar, as it would be much easier. So we sold the 504 Washington Street building, and I bought the 517 Washington Street building and opened up Club Diablo in 2005. With The Continental closing, we got a lot of that business.
“But over the years, the goth night crowd diversified and spread out. Halloween weekend (2011), a national band canceled on me, and I thought to myself, ‘If I can’t have a good Halloween at Diablo then it’s time to close. So I sold everything in 2012 and had a closing party after that. It’s been ten years since then, and I still own the building. I lease it to Mark and Amy of House of Charm. Diablo was a labor of love – it was my baby. The first week of April is my birthday… that’s why I figured that with the ten year anniversary and my birthday, it’s finally time to do something. People keep asking if it’s an April Fools day prank [laughing]. It’s not. I put up the tickets for sale on Monday and sold 70 tickets out of the gate. It’s going to be a great party.”
Club Diablo Reopens for One Night Only
Fri, Apr 1, 2022, 7:00 PM
@ House of Charm | 517 Washington Street | Buffalo, NY 14203
With DJs Old Skool, Bud Redding, and N3wT
Purple Mother Fu*ckrs drink specials will be at the bar all night
Special guests from Club Diablo
$5