Kurtis Blow had performed at Chocolate City before his release "The Breaks", which is recognized as the first rap song to be certified as a gold record.
At the height of its popularity, which started in 1979 and until the mid to late 1990s, the "90 Cent Dance Night" party regularly drew 700-1000 people weekly and often broke over 1,000 customers on the door count during the holiday seasons.
At the end of the evening, Hetson is quoted as saying "Brilliant idea of having a 90 cent dance night cover charge; someone in Los Angeles like Gary Tovar should get on board."
In April 2013, Lawrence Campbell of Exodus Entertainment LLC purchased the building with hopes of turning the site into both a community center and a hall for private functions.
The venue also hosted a performance by comedian Henny Youngman and speaking engagements by counter-culture personalities Timothy Leary.
[5] James Murphy, leader of LCD Soundsystem, was an underage bouncer for City Gardens during the hardcore Sunday matinee shows in the 1980s.
's Peter Buck was quoted, in the Tony Fletcher book Remarks, as saying that sitting in the band's van outside of City Gardens watching children play football was part of the feeling that inspired their song "Perfect Circle".
That same year, director Steve Tozzi released his documentary, Riot on the Dance Floor, based on Randy Now and City Gardens.