It was a majestic ballroom with an impressive stage and it pulled in thousands of customers when it was in its heyday.
Top bands such as Rod Stewart and the Faces, Free, David Bowie, Pink Floyd and The Who all played there.
The club first opened as a Locarno ballroom, which were the flagships of the Mecca Empire and there was also a bowling alley underneath which opened on June 30, 1964, with the project costing £300,000.
The club had changes of names such as the Mayfair and then the Palace, before closing down for good in April 2003.
It was demolished in 2012 but the memories will certainly live on for thousands of music and dance lovers.
See if these scenes – some provided courtesy of Bill Hawkins and Sunderland Antiquarian Society – bring back memories of its rise and fall.
. Re-live the memories
The Locarno was one of Sunderland’s most popular live music venues in 1970, attracting acts such as Genesis and David Bowie. Photo: se
1. Inside the ballroom
The interior of the Locarno Ballroom as new in 1964. Picture courtesy of local historian Bill Hawkins and Sunderland Antiquarian Society. Photo: Bill Hawkins
2. Dancing the night away
Dancing the night away. Does this bring back happy memories? Photo: se
3. The function room and bar grill
The Locarno private function room and Bar Grill from 1964. Photo courtesy of Bill Hawkins and Sunderland Antiquarian Society. Photo: Bill Hawkins
4. The Mecca Centre - formerly the Locarno
The Mecca Centre in 1979. Photo: Sunderland Echo