Photograph
The Hotel Washington Fire
| A view from Bedford Street of the smouldering ruins of the Hotel Washington. A pedestrian crosses the street in front of a parked firetruck. Water being used to fight the fire has frozen into long icicles on signs and power lines. |
| Image ID: | 112725 |
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| Creation Date: | 02 18 1996 |
| Creator Name: | Driscoll, John H. |
| City: | Madison |
| County: | Dane |
| State: | Wisconsin |
| Collection Name: | Classified file, circa 1850s-1950s |
| Genre: | Photograph |
| Original Format Type: | photographic print, b&w |
| Original Format Number: | CF 6563 |
| Original Dimensions: | 7 x 5 inches |
| The Hotel Washington was built at 636 West Washington Avenue in Madison, Wisconsin at the end of the 19th century. It housed several businesses during the 1970s until it was destroyed by fire on February 18, 1996. It was an important cultural center and served as a destination for the LGBT community from Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Owner Rodney Scheel was important in establishing gay pride events in the Madison area, including Madison's seminal MAGIC Picnic. Businesses in the Hotel Washington included Rod’s, a gay bar; Club de Wash, a bar and live music venue; the restaurant Café Palms; The Barber’s Closet, a basement bar that had been a speakeasy during Prohibition; The Barber's Closet Salon, a hair salon whose shelf of barber's tools hid a second door to The Barber's Closet; and The New Bar, a teen-friendly dance club. The building also had a working hotel. |
| This image is issued by the Wisconsin Historical Society. Use of the image requires written permission from the staff of the Collections Division. It may not be sold or redistributed, copied or distributed as a photograph, electronic file, or any other media. The image should not be significantly altered through conventional or electronic means. Images altered beyond standard cropping and resizing require further negotiation with a staff member. The user is responsible for all issues of copyright. Please Credit: Wisconsin Historical Society. |
| Location: | Wisconsin Historical Society Archives, 4th Floor, Madison, Wisconsin |
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