By Katherine Devaney
On June 30th, 1974 in the early hours of the morning, a fire erupted at Gulliver’s Nightclub, resulting in the devastating loss of 24 young people and the injury of 32 others. The club, situated right on the border of Port Chester and Greenwich, had a bustling and lively atmosphere that boasted a restaurant, bar, lounge, and discoteque with a sunken dance floor – the epitome of the lively nature of the 70’s. On the night of June 30th, 1974, a band called the Creation with lead singer Paul Caravello was performing, however, the music was interrupted when smoke began to infiltrate the discotheque, which was on the lower level of the building. Many hurried to evacuate the building before it was too late but, unfortunately, the smoke was overbearing for the 24 of those who perished, all of them reportedly suffering from asphyxiation.
This year on June 1st, at 1:30pm many gathered for the second year in a row at the Thomas Lyon House, just across the road from where Gulliver’s once stood, to commemorate the lives lost on that early morning 51 years ago. The club was a hotspot and visitors flocked from regions of Fairfield county and beyond. Among those that perished included residents of Cos Cob, Stamford, New Canaan, Westport and Creation’s keyboard player (Damon) and lead singer (George).
The sun cascaded down onto the crowd, which included relatives of the deceased, firefighters, first responders, and first selectman Fred Camillo among many others. After the first ceremony last year celebrating the 50th anniversary of the tragedy, the town joined once again to commemorate, a tradition that is widely hoped to continue on. A sheet with a long list of the names of the victims was distributed upon arrival and the ceremony mourned their loss.
According to a 1999 New York Times report by Joseph Berger commemorating the 25th anniversary of the fire, “The fire at Gulliver’s was the deadliest dance club fire in the United States in more than a generation” and it “called attention to the dangers of herding young people into windowless underground rooms without smoke alarms, sprinklers, fire-resistant walls or limits on occupancy.” Berger’s report called attention to the importance of safety measures within establishments, the lack thereof in Gulliver’s being an key player in the sheer volume of loss that occurred.
Notably, as one of the victim’s relatives mentioned, all those killed were very young, the oldest being 34 years old and the youngest being 18 years old.
Today, the event that occurred on the tragic night is vaguely remembered by members of the newer generations. As the brother of one of the victims, Michael F. McManus says, “you know, you ask a lot of young people today, they don’t remember.” Certain horrific incidents are memorialized and documented with “parks and new schools,” while others get brushed to the wayside. Thankfully, the ceremony, which took 50 years to initiate, is now hoped to be a recurring annual event, with First Selectman Fred Camillo working to honor the victims.
As mentioned in his weekly newsletter on May 30th, 2025, Camillo is, “continuing to push for the new bridge project that will connect Greenwich and Port Chester to be dedicated as a memorial bridge to the victims of the fire,” a project that is “easier said than done,” but is nevertheless a priority on his list.
To honor the victims of the Gulliver’s nightclub fire, the list of names can be found below, as presented during the ceremony.
Robert A. Amico, 19, Stamford, CT
Alexander Blazinski, Jr., 21, Union City, NJ
Thomas F. Burke III, 23, Stamford, CT
George D. Chase, 24, Bronx, NY
Damon DeFeis, 19, Deer Park, Long Island, NY
Denise M. DiMauro, 21, New Milford, CT
Linda S. Edwards, 20, New Canaan, CT
Michael J. Gauruder, 19, Cos Cob, CT
Virginia Guannat, 19, French citizen working in Cos Cob, CT
Janet M. Haehl, 20, Westport, CT
Jonnetta V. Lunnerman Horsey, 26, Mount Vernon, NY
Cindy L. Johanessen, 19, Griswold, CT
SSGT Paul R. Kulikowski, 24, Forest City, PA
Michael F. McManus, 22, Scarsdale, NY
Philip P. Memoli, 34, Stamford, CT
Eugene F. O’Connell III, 20, Stamford, CT
Betty Ann Pulver, 19, Stamford, CT
Timothy A. Scaia, 19, Fairfield, CT
Robin L. Seeley, 18, Port Chester, NY
Tracy A. Thomas, 19, Stamford, CT
Mark E. Thompson, 20, Stamford, CT
Dale Roxie Ward, 26, Mamaroneck, NY
Lynne M. Wojciechowski, 22, New Milford, CT
Susan L. Pennington Zizzi, 23, Stamford, CT
