The Cruise Inn was founded in december 1982 by a Rock and Roll gang called, "The Bop Cats". They were a small group of young people who sewed a patch with their gang name on their leather jackets during the late seventies/early eighties.

They started out with just 5 to 10 guys and girls and their gang soon grew to about 40 people. Having a big gang like that, they needed a clubhouse. One of them told everybody that he knew an old wooden shed at the eastern part of Amsterdam, which used to be a former church and after that a discotheque. Considering it wasn't being used at that particular time, they took their oppurtunity and confiscated the building. They fixed up the place here and there, installed some fifties gear, made a bar, a d.j. boot, a small stage for bands etc, etc. Thanks to volunteers since then, The Cruise Inn was celebrating it's 20th aniversary in december 2002!

 

However, due to the new plans made by the city of Amsterdam, the shed has to be taken down. A lot of volunteers who made the Cruise for what it stands now, didn't accept this and some of them (Lien, Gonzo) were negotiating with city hall to arrange a new location. And that worked...

Because the Bopcats and regular visitors build and made their own Cruise Inn from the first till the last brick, they decided to break it down theirselves also!!

This happened by a demolitionparty on the 9th of december 1999.

Luckily this new location is very near to the original one, which means all you cats and chicks won't have any trouble in finding the new Cruise Inn.

What did the gouverment do with the "old" location?

Look and judge for yourself:

(Click on the picture to see a larger image)

 

By now.... we are located for a few years in our "new" wooden shed!

But.... not for very long,.... because this was only a temporary building. We have to leave (again) somewere around the end of 2008

The moving-committee is allready busy with a new location.... again!!

We'll keep you informed.

Update 09-01-2008: For now the Cruise Inn doesn't have to move to another place. We can stay at least untill medio 2011 !!!

On the 26th of march 2002 died Marc Gregoire.

Marc was one of the founders of the Bopcats/Cruise Inn, also initiator of our D-Day.

Click on the picture to go to Marc's own corner on the world wide web.

In memoriam: Marc Gregoire

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