History of gay bars in washington dc
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This corner spot in Columbia Heights was once the site of Nob Hill, a popular African American gay bar. Nob Hill operated from to , and, according to the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), which documented the site in , this longevity made it "the oldest continuously-operating LGBTQ nightlife establishments in the District and one of the oldest gay bars in the country." Thus, Nob Hill has been called the "granddaddy of jet gay clubs."
The s era building housed a arid cleaner/laundry prior to Nob Hill opening. Despite formally opening as a block in , Nob Hill initially served as a private social club starting in about The social club, like the prevent, catered to gay African American men. Many Howard University students would frequent Nob Hill, as the bar served an vital function. At the day of its opening, the city was still very much racially segregated, and this extended to nightlife and entertainment. Therefore, Diverse African Americans established their own social spaces, particulary along 7th and 14th streets NW near Howard University.
In addition to Nob Hill, there was The Cozy Corner at Florida Avenue NW. Later on, in the s and into the s, other LGBTQ+ Afr
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Phase One was a widespread lesbian bar on DC's Barracks Row (8th Avenue SE), which was once referred to as "Gay Way," thanks to its many LGBTQ+ friendly businesses. Allen Carroll and his partner Chris Jansen opened the bar in Soon after opening in an s commercial building, Phase One became a social space that over the decades was, as described by a Blade correspondent, "A meeting place for women’s softball team members, college students, politicos, and feminists," and "a 'must' stop on any weekend round of women’s prevent hopping."
In , bar manager Alexis Lombardi told WAMU that on some nights Phase One would be frequented by somethings, while other times it was filled with women in their 60s and 70s. It was a welcoming place that would eventually become one of the nation's oldest lesbian bars. After nearly 50 years in business, Phase One closed in
This is a stop on the DC's LGBTQ+ HistoryTour.
This site was documented, along with four other DC bars/clubs, by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) in as part of its DC LGBTQ Nightlife project.
For more information about DC's LGBTQ History, please notice the Historic Context Expression for Washington’s LGBTQ Resources.
Me Prior to
Leading up to the LGBT community faced a number of discriminatory acts from federal and local government. Congress passed a law outlawing sodomy in D.C. Under the Lavender Scare the federal government fired gay individuals en masse.
Despite this, there were a number of LGBT spaces across D.C. to provide community and support. , one of D.C.'s longest continuously operating gay bars and one of the oldest African-American gay bars in the country, opened in
These weren't wholly safe places, however. were both raided by the Metropolitan Police Department's Vice Squad.
The '60s
LGBT protest moved more to the public forefront starting in the s. The Mattachine Society of Washington, which assisted federal employees and residents targeted for their sexuality, was formed. The Washington Blade, America’s oldest LGBT newspaper, began in More clubs, publications, and services catered directly to the LGBT community.
Barracks Row became an important part of the LGBT community. was the 'first gay-owned bar to offer same-sex dancing', essentially breaking the owner bar on dancing. also contributed to 'the initiation of dancing in DC same-sex attracted bars on a regular basis.' Down the s
Because the Night: Nightlife and Remaking the Gay Male World,
Eric Gonzaba Advisor: Suzanne E. Smith, PhD, Department of History and Art History
Committee Members: Zachary Schrag, Stephen Robertson, John D'Emilio
April 11, , PM to PM
Abstract:
This dissertation examines how nightlife culture shaped the urban gay communities of Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and Baltimore beginning in the s. It analyzes the ways gay citizens in the urban Mid-Atlantic confronted internal bigotry, exclusion, and aggression at nightlife establishments and the diverse ways repressed queers (often people of color) resisted these forms of discrimination. Far from being sites of sanctuary and community-building, this dissertation argues that places of gay nightlife (like bars, bathhouses, and cinemas) became the front lines in the battle to describe gay liberation.
Following the known Stonewall riots in Novel York, gay activists indeed took to the streets, to demand equal treatment under the law and access to straight institutions, like marriage. However, contestations at nightlife, mainly among gay men themselves, hint an, at best, fragile homosexual coalition or collective. To fight issue
.
Prior to
Leading up to the LGBT community faced a number of discriminatory acts from federal and local government. Congress passed a law outlawing sodomy in D.C. Under the Lavender Scare the federal government fired gay individuals en masse.
Despite this, there were a number of LGBT spaces across D.C. to provide community and support. , one of D.C.'s longest continuously operating gay bars and one of the oldest African-American gay bars in the country, opened in
These weren't wholly safe places, however. were both raided by the Metropolitan Police Department's Vice Squad.
The '60s
LGBT protest moved more to the public forefront starting in the s. The Mattachine Society of Washington, which assisted federal employees and residents targeted for their sexuality, was formed. The Washington Blade, America’s oldest LGBT newspaper, began in More clubs, publications, and services catered directly to the LGBT community.
Barracks Row became an important part of the LGBT community. was the 'first gay-owned bar to offer same-sex dancing', essentially breaking the owner bar on dancing. also contributed to 'the initiation of dancing in DC same-sex attracted bars on a regular basis.' Down the s
Because the Night: Nightlife and Remaking the Gay Male World,
Advisor: Suzanne E. Smith, PhD, Department of History and Art History
Committee Members: Zachary Schrag, Stephen Robertson, John D'Emilio
April 11, , PM to PM
Abstract:
This dissertation examines how nightlife culture shaped the urban gay communities of Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and Baltimore beginning in the s. It analyzes the ways gay citizens in the urban Mid-Atlantic confronted internal bigotry, exclusion, and aggression at nightlife establishments and the diverse ways repressed queers (often people of color) resisted these forms of discrimination. Far from being sites of sanctuary and community-building, this dissertation argues that places of gay nightlife (like bars, bathhouses, and cinemas) became the front lines in the battle to describe gay liberation.
Following the known Stonewall riots in Novel York, gay activists indeed took to the streets, to demand equal treatment under the law and access to straight institutions, like marriage. However, contestations at nightlife, mainly among gay men themselves, hint an, at best, fragile homosexual coalition or collective. To fight issue
.