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Ben Davis Funeral Home. The drugstore owned by Lottie Davis. Riverside School. Mr. D’s Barber Shop. Ms. Baby Haines’ store. Riverside Terrace. Mark IV Disco Club.
The Riverside neighborhood of Columbus has long been home to countless businesses, churches and gathering places — many whose names, though no longer standing, still live on through the memories they created.
Dewees Street said goodbye to the Mark IV Disco Club building on Wednesday, April 29.
The club closed in 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic. Extensive damage from Hurricane Beryl in 2024 later left the building in a state of disrepair.
“It’s the end of an era and the beginning of another,” said Mary Collins, daughter of Mark IV owner Ivory Collins.
Music Along the River
The Riverside neighborhood sits just a stone’s throw from the Colorado River. Nearby Midtown Park features an amphitheater and playground instruments for visitors, while songs of worship can be heard each Sunday from New Greater Smith Chapel Baptist Church.
For more than three decades, music ranging from Southern blues to rap filled the Mark IV Disco Club. The venue carried a colorful history, operating under several names — including Club 71, Soul Box, Low Riders and The Green Door — with different owners over the years.
“I won the dance contest at Club 71,” Colorado County resident Melinda Sewell recalled.
Ivory and Marilyn Collins acquired the club in the 1980s from Granvel and Carita Sanford. Their oldest daughter, Ivy, named it after the Lincoln Continental Mark IV.
Marilyn Collins, who died in 2021, served as co-owner and bookkeeper for both Collins Automotive and the Mark IV.
Ivory Collins began working as a DJ in 1969. His brother, Sonny Collins, also owned a local nightclub, Riverside Terrace.
More Than Music
While the Mark IV Disco Club was known for its nightlife, it also played an important role in the community. The venue hosted birthday parties, family reunions and wedding receptions.
“That’s where I met my husband 23 years ago,” Gwen Petty said. “We will be married 22 years in December.”
Anjanette Mitchell added, “I had my wedding reception and birthday parties there. It will be greatly missed.”
The club sponsored children’s trips to the Shriners circus and supported teens by helping build business and trade skills through involvement with the Masonic Lodge. Ivory Collins also welcomed guest DJs, earning the club a reputation as a place where talent could develop and shine. In June 2019, Collins was honored for 50 years as a DJ.
The Mark IV also became known for live performances, with artists such as Mel Waiters, Rue Davis, Jabo and Vickie Baker drawing standing-room-only crowds.
Memories Live On
Like many businesses that depended on in-person gatherings, the Mark IV was impacted by COVID-19 closures. Combined with storm damage from Hurricane Beryl, the club ultimately closed its doors after decades of operation.
Following the building’s demol ition, hundreds of memories poured in through a Facebook post shared by Mary Collins.
“The dance floor was packed,” Veronica Woods said. “I remember listening to Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun.’ The Mark IV is probably where I first learned to dance in the late 1980s.”
Though occasional fights were inevitable in the nightclub business, Ivory Collins was known for maintaining order. He kept a list of banned individuals posted at the door to minimize trouble.
“We all had a good time in that place — well, besides the fights,” Angelita Rios said. “Mr. Collins handled that well. He would put them out the door and tell them not to come back.”
Collins also encouraged entrepreneurship among local youth.
“Ivory gave me a pole and nail to pick up trash from the night before,” local business owner Jon Woods said. “I’m still at it.”
William Smith shared another memory: “I remember when he brought Mel Waiters to the club. I was the only white boy there, but I was always treated with respect. Thank you, Ivory, for being a friend and bringing music to Columbus.”
Music has a way of tying people to moments in time. Through the memories of thousands who passed through its doors, the Mark IV Disco Club will be remembered as the place — as Ivory Collins often said — “where the party never stops.”
