D U P O N T C I R C
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after George Dotson opened Mr. P’s. In 1997, the 1997, In P’s. Mr. opened Dotson George after the Fraternity House here in 1976, several months several 1976, in here House Fraternity the E restaurant of that name). Glenn Thompson opened Thompson Glenn name). that of restaurant ainbow History Project 2003 Project History ainbow ©R of the Circle. the of Design by Gina M. Farthing M. Gina by Design — Formerly a stable (and a (and stable a Formerly — 2122 P St. rear St. P 2122 [16] 21st St. NW just a block or two west two or block a just NW St. 21st All photographs © Patsy Lynch Patsy © photographs All park along Massachusetts Avenue and Avenue Massachusetts along park L nights. Saturday cruising spot was a small triangular small a was spot cruising www.rainbowhistory.org Mayor and hosts a weekly Liquid Ladies event on event Ladies Liquid weekly a hosts and Mayor [email protected] for most of the 20th century. Another century. 20th the of most for eants, annual Christmas parties hosted by the by hosted parties Christmas annual eants, 202.907.9007 cruising Connecticut and the Circle the and Connecticut cruising become the site of many Miss Capitol Pride pag- Pride Capitol Miss many of site the become Washington, DC 20008 DC Washington, der” and others have memories of memories have others and der” C (DC’s oldest social organization). It has also has It organization). social oldest (DC’s P.O. Box 11013 Box P.O. generations of gay men. “Jeb Alexan- “Jeb men. gay of generations female impersonator and member of the Academy the of member and impersonator female Rainbow History Project History Rainbow Sponsored by Sponsored venue have been cruising areas for areas cruising been have venue A years it was managed by ‘Sophie Tucker’, a Tucker’, ‘Sophie by managed was it years The Circle itself and Connecticut and itself Circle The Gay Gay itr fmtooia ahntn DC. Washington, metropolitan of history enduring gay and lesbian dance clubs. For many For clubs. dance lesbian and gay enduring R to New York Avenue NW. Avenue York New to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered and bisexual lesbian, gay, the tion. The site is one of Washington, DC’s most DC’s Washington, of one is site The tion. Street NW from Pennsylvania Avenue Pennsylvania from NW Street collects, preserves and promotes and preserves collects, Hurrah, at this loca- this at Hurrah, area on New York Avenue, and 9th and Avenue, York New on area H ANO ITR PROJECT HISTORY RAINBOW THE the dance club Last club dance the Lafayette Square areas, the bus station bus the areas, Square Lafayette I Badlands followed Badlands Steet), the Franklin Square and Square Franklin the Steet), Tou DC Walking DC Walking Tou DC Walking Thompson’s club), Thompson’s SE and areas along South Capitol South along areas and SE Apex (Glenn Apex were Capitol Hill (primarily 8th Street 8th (primarily Hill Capitol were Annex and the and Annex C social areas for gays and lesbians and gays for areas social Badlands, the Badlands, Until the early Seventies, the major the Seventies, early the Until — Site of Site — St. NW St. lesbian communities in the 1970s. the in communities lesbian 1415 22nd 1415 [15] the site of the annual Youth Pride festival. Pride Youth annual the of site the DC’s gay, bisexual, transgendered and transgendered bisexual, gay, DC’s an adjunct of those events. Since 2000, it has also become also has it 2000, Since events. those of adjunct an be and to be seen for Washington, for seen be to and be Circle’s African-American clientele. African-American Circle’s grounds, P Street Beach became Beach Street P grounds, the Circle bar, the Fireplace attracted much of the of much attracted Fireplace the bar, Circle the CIRCLE became one of the places to places the of one became CIRCLE tions to the Frances School Frances the to tions bartender Judy Stevens. Following the closure of closure the Following Stevens. Judy bartender THE AREA AROUND DUPONT AROUND AREA THE T move of annual Pride celebra- Pride annual of move name. The club is the latest employer of popular of employer latest the is club The name. celebration. After 1980 and the and 1980 After celebration. to the Fireplace the to city’s first (and unofficial) Pride unofficial) (and first city’s 90s when it reverted it when 90s was one of the sites used for the for used sites the of one was N early the until Station men. In 1972, P Street Beach Street P 1972, In men. nw sPStreet P as known night time cruising area for gay for area cruising time night became a gay bar gay a became Rock Creek has long been a been long has Creek Rock the Fireplace, it Fireplace, the O running down to the banks of banks the to down running restaurant known as known restaurant and P Street, the grassy field grassy the Street, P and Originally a straight a Originally — At 23rd At — r Beach Street P & r bar for decades. for bar s s Frances School grounds School Frances [17] been a restaurant and restaurant a been P The location has location The egas show. egas V — 11PSt. P 2161 [14] here as the Diva Las Diva the as here U relocate to troupe best known drag hostesses at the club. the at hostesses drag known best Cobalt’s drag show drag Cobalt’s and Xavier Bloomingdale have been two of the of two been have Bloomingdale Xavier and December 1998 led 1998 December venue for drag shows for many years. Erica Kane Erica years. many for shows drag for venue n1t t Win NW St. 17th on Grand Central. The club has been an important an been has club The Central. Grand D closed the Cobalt club Cobalt the closed the restaurant and club following the closure of closure the following club and restaurant the Omega. The fire that fire The Omega. Dupont Circle area. Owner George Dotson opened Dotson George Owner area. Circle Dupont club was renamed was club Street and newer businesses in the (less expensive) areas to the east, Dupont Circle became the center for In the 1960s, the Dupont Circle area was a cen- many in the community and began taking on the gay did so until ter of antiwar activism and the counterculture, an ethos for which it is still known. Local ‘straight’ clubs 1980), got official environment in which many of the young gay and began offering ‘gay’ nights to draw business from the DC recognition lesbian activists of the Seventies learned the tactics numbers of gay men and women in the area. As rede- of the event, and of protest. The Community Bookshop on P Street velopment closed down older clubs in the 9th Street, began DC’s series NW (relocating from the Washington Circle area) Franklin Square and New York Avenue areas, entre- of annual Gay and the ‘Community Building’ on 20th Street pro- preneurs and club owners increasingly looked for Prides, following vided anchors for counterculture activities. space in Dupont Circle and areas to the east. in a tradition set Before gay rap groups, gay youth groups, and by the 1972 Pride Fest. The 1975 event was coor- gay publications, Dupont was home to the Take a walk dinated by Bob Carpenter. For the next four years, Washington Area Free University, free clinics, Black through our history. Pride festivals centered on this block (though they Panther offices, and other ‘movement’ institutions. spread around the corner onto S Street beginning in Clubs in the area showcased the emerging music of [1] 1724 20th Street — 1977). In 1980, the fest moved to the Frances the day. The Quicksilver Times and the Washington the ‘Community Build- School grounds [17]. Free Press, local underground and movement news- ing’ of the 60s and early papers, were located near Dupont Circle. 70s was at the heart of [3] 2012 S St. The Community Building, at 1724 20th St. counterculture anti-war — In May became a gay ‘community center’ before there was activity. In 1971, Deacon 1977, Lambda an official Gay Community Center. Originally Maccubbin took over The Rising moved home to counterculture groups and craft shops, the Alternative, a countercul- from the building became ‘gay central’ as Deacon ture crafts store, and Community Maccubbin created first Earthworks and then turned it into Earthworks, Building on Lambda Rising, the first and most enduring com- a ‘headshop’. The 20th Street munity business. Under his management, the Community Building around the cor- building became home to gay youth groups, gay became home to the ner to a new location on S Street. The new location and lesbian periodicals, a gay hotline, and a meet- Washington Area Free provided much more space, two floors, and the ing place for nascent community organizations. University, the DC opportunity to offer meeting space to community P Street saw a constant flow of gay men Hotline, the Black groups. The S Street location also provided room between Dupont Circle and ‘the block’, a major Panthers Defense for author readings and book signings. By 1984, cruising area in Georgetown centered at 31st and Committee, and more. Lambda Rising had outgrown its premises again Dumbarton Street NW. Though there were gay For most of the 70s, the building was ‘gay central’ for and moved to [5] 1625 Connecticut Ave. and gay-friendly clubs in Georgetown, there were northwest DC, housing at times the Blade, off our none in the Dupont area until March 1976 when backs, the Gay Switchboard, gay youth groups, and [4] 1820 George Dotson took over an Irish pub called more.