Property Record
602 UNIVERSITY AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | F. and M. Olwell Commercial Building and Apartments |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | 602 Club |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 113364 |
| Location (Address): | 602 UNIVERSITY AVE |
|---|---|
| County: | Dane |
| City: | Madison |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
| Range: | |
| Direction: | |
| Section: | |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | 1907 |
|---|---|
| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 19832019 |
| Historic Use: | apartment/condominium |
| Architectural Style: | Queen Anne |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | Map code 0709-232-0325-5. City of Madison, Wisconsin Underrepresented Communities Historic Resource Survey Report: In 1951, Dudley Howe bought a tavern at 602 University Avenue and changed the name to the 602 Club. While not specifically a gay bar, the 602 Club was one of the few public places in Madison that welcomed LGBTQ people in the 1950s and 1960s. During those decades, LGBTQ people in Madison had few options for socializing in public with an open and accepting community. Open hostility and enforcement of sodomy laws inhibited openly LGBTQ people from socializing in public places. At the 602 Club, “The unpublicized arrangement at the 602 Club was that the tables at the back half of the bar were for straight patrons, while the front half, along the bar, was for gay male patrons.” Howe operated the 602 Club until he died in 1992. Howe’s daughter Ja-Ja continued to operate the 602 Club until 1994. The building at 602 University Avenue was built in 1907 by brothers Frank J. and Morgan J. Olwell, who operated a grocery there into the 1930s. |
|---|---|
| Bibliographic References: | Tax records. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |