Opening night drew a large crowd of 1500 guests in the Cocoanut Grove, plus another 500 more outside.

But because he didn't know what was happening to his wife, to the girl he'd first danced with at the Cocoanut Grove.

That night he'd met her at the Cocoanut Grove.

"Disasters like the fire at the Cocoanut Grove," Lois said.

Only a few blocks away, nearly 1,000 people had jammed into the Cocoanut Grove, licensed to hold no more than 460, when fire flashed.

"When we lost, our party at the Cocoanut Grove was called off."

It was one of the city's first luxury hotels, and its nightclub, the Cocoanut Grove, thrived for many years.

The school itself is six stories, with a replica of the Cocoanut Grove.

That night Cocoanut Grove burned down with the loss of 492 lives.

The hotel stopped trying to make a go of the Cocoanut Grove as a nightclub 15 years ago.