Area: The ever-changing New York club where revelers swam in alphabet soup and mingled with Madonna and Andy Warhol For a brief moment it was the hippest club in downtown Manhattan, with an ever-evolving look that attracted lines of revelers desperate to see and be seen. On any given night, a newly famous Madonna could be spotted mingling with Andy Warhol, Sting and Grace Jones at Area. It was so popular that even John F Kennedy Jr was made to wait in line with the crowds when he turned up at the nightclub that doubled as an exhibition space. Souped up: Kenny Baird serves cocktails in a pool Mark Garbarino had made to look like alphabet soup in 1984 Edgy: Sandra Bernhard channels her biker chick persona at Area in 1986 Vogue: Madonna lived just a few blocks from Area in 1985 and was a big part of the creative downtown scene Every six weeks from the time it was opened in 1983, the owners - four friends from California - completely changed the look of the nightclub that doubled as an art gallery. From live sharks swimming in a tank on the dance floor to the front of the club being made to look like a suburban house, the team behind Area went to extreme lengths to keep it feeling fresh. Performance artists would writhe in food or paint, or be tied to a stake and surrounded by jets of flame as the club explored themes of religion, sex, natural history and fashion. History: Photos and memories of the club make up the book Area When the theme was food, a pool was filled with alphabet soup and one Halloween crazed actors wielding chainsaws carved up fake bodies dripping with blood. Invitations as elaborate as the decor were sent out with each change, with lucky guests being posted ostrich eggs that had to be broken open to reveal the details, or invites printed on processed cheese slices. Huge crowds would gather outside the warehouse size space hoping to be let in behind the velvet rope by a doorman who received death threats from those he refused entry to. Once inside, singers, actors and artists mixed with Wall Street bankers and fashionistas. The club was well-documented by artists and photographers over the four years it stayed open, and that rich archive has been used to create a book about Area. Eric Goode, one of the co-founders who had wanted to create an art project on a monumental scale, has put together photos, letters and memories of the club for the book, Area. With the help of his sister Jennifer, Goode, who now owns several New York restaurants, has created a behind-the-scenes history of the club. Along with his friends Shawn Hausman and Darius Azari, and brother Christopher, Goode set about creating a space where they could live out their creative fantasies. Those lucky enough to have made it on the guest list still rave about its creativity and energy. It was a different experience every time. You never knew what to expect. It was such a creative moment,' Calvin Klein told the New York Times recently. Other famous names attracted to the club include model Grace Coddington, who went on to work for Vogue, Sting and the actor Matt Dillon. Pulling power: A crowd fills Hudson Street outside Area in 1983 as revelers waited for the chance to get inside the famed club Star role: Actor Matt Dillon and director Francis Ford Coppola at the club in 1983 Turn back time: Cher with co-founder Shawn Hausman in 1983 Madonna, who was in the early days of her fame when the club opened, was a regular through its doors. Goode said: 'Madonna was part of the creative downtown scene. She was discovered at Danceteria and had been famous for a few years by the time we opened AREA. Her loft was on Broome Street and Broadway, just up the block, so she hung out at the club a lot. Goode says it would be impossible for a club like Area to exist in the city today. The late 70s and early 80s were a very special time in New York. It was a think tank of artists. The city was very lawless,' he said. Area is available from Abrams Books for $75. Power: John F Kennedy Jr waits to get in the club in 1983 Dressed to impress: Calvin Klein, left, poses with Tommy Street and an owl in 1984 On the decks: Jean-Michel Bazquiat and Francesco Clemente in 1985 Fashionista: Model and creative director for Vogue, Grace Coddington, in 1986 Creative: Peter Fraser pictured with Elizabeth Saltzman, who wore a see-through vinyl dress with only white panties and well-placed electrical tape to preserve her dignity in 1984 Legends: Writer Michael Musto, left, and artist Albert Crudo wear mythically inspired head gear to Area in 1984 Bring on the night: Sting hangs out at Area in 1985 Art history: Bernard-Zette, dressed as Doris Farnsworth, with Andy Warhol in 1985 Fame and fortune: John Taylor and Don Johnson at Area in 1986