Richard J. Schilling Sr., former owner of the Beverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate, died Tuesday at his Florida home, weeks shy of the 25th anniversary of the devastating fire at the nightclub once billed as “The Nation's Showplace.”

        The Fort Lauderdale resident was 79.

SPECIAL SECTION

The Beverly Hills fire

        On May 28, 1977, fire erupted at the club, killing 165 people, many of whom had come to see singer John Davidson.

        Nothing has been built on the hilltop site since.

        The state fire marshal's office investigation revealed that there were not enough fire exits to safely evacuate patrons when the building was at full capacity.

        Investigations also revealed problems with electrical wiring. Lawsuits stemming from the fire set precedents in class-action law.

        One statement from then-Kentucky Gov. Julian Carroll in a 1977 special task-force report called the Beverly Hills building “an electrician's nightmare.”

        No one was ever indicted for any crimes related to the fire following a grand-jury investigation. Civil suits against the owners were settled out of court in 1980.

        The nightspot had originally been built in 1937 and operated as a casino until the early 1960s.

        Mr. Schilling, a former resident of Villa Hills, and his three sons, Richard J. Jr., Ronald and Raymond, owned and managed the 4-R Corp. and the club, which was deeded to the Schillings in December 1969.

        The Schillings upgraded and reopened the club in 1971 and attracted top-flight entertainers.

        In a 1997 interview with the Enquirer, Mr. Schilling rejected any suggestion he shared responsibility for the tragedy.

        “To blame?” he said. “No sir. That was unfair. That was a low shot.”

        As for accusations that cost-cutting during construction and improperly installed wiring contributed to the disaster, Mr. Schilling said, “That's not so. It never was so.”

        After the fire, Mr. Schilling maintained a low profile and participated in some of his sons' ventures, building or remodeling homes in Villa Hills and Fort Lauderdale.

        “Since Beverly Hills burned, there has never been another showplace east of the Mississippi with that kind of top-name entertainment,” said Joan Vandergriff, a waitress from the club's opening until the fire in 1977.

        “I think he will be missed, though a lot of people might not want to admit it,” said Ms. Vandergriff, who now works in the banquet department at the Hilton Greater Cincinnati Airport.

        Funeral arrangements are incomplete.

        The Muehlenkamp-Erschell Funeral Home in Fort Thomas is handling local arrangements. Kraeer Funeral Homes in Fort Lauderdale is handling arrangements there.

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