By 1980, WaPo was offering a laundry list of the clientele to expect there: Mt. Flickr/Hunter Desportes 2) In the early 1970s, the country embroiled in the Vietnam War. They have a gay following and the original is near Dupont Circle. In Nathan's, where sophisticated young professionals mingle before a backdrop of forest green walls and framed pastel hunting scenes, a lawyer explained his presence simply: "It's loneliness, the human condition. [5], The club was owned from 1953 to 1980 by the Tramonte family who designed it to have an intimate atmosphere like a family. There are out-of-town families trying to decide where to eat: "But I don't want steak" went the refrain recently outside Dino's Steakhouse. Channeling the immense popularity of Chidi, a so-called circuit of preppy bars soon dotted the neighborhood, giving the pastel-clad a place to party virtually every single night of the week. Eastern Kentucky boys and men, circa 1964. Although many Georgetown merchants say this is the worst summer for business they have seen in years, one bartender in a popular nightclub said it can gross $10,000 on a Saturday night. For previous columns, visit washingtonpost.com/johnkelly. I once met John Waters and Divine there. We wear our boxer shorts and some say Oh, my God, who are these guys?. Brett Kavanaughs infamous hand-scrawled calendar even detailed his goings-on during that crazy summer, when he was a year away from graduating from Georgetown Prep in nearby Bethesda. "We're probably the preppiest people in there and we really bum people out," he said, leaning against the wall outside Winston's and looking oh-so-preppy in his pink-and-green plaid bow tie and pink sweater. "Well," she said with a drawl, "We're gay. The 1970s were a memorable time no matter where you livedbut here in Ohio it was extra groovy. Cerphe Colwell: musicplanetradio.com. This establishment was a left over remanent of the 1970s disco scene. [3], The club included a balcony level, with tables and chairs, and two standing room only bars. Third edition was my go to spot from 92-96. Mike Tramonte: The Bayou At least Quick Pita lives on!! By the aughts, now known simply as Richard H. Houghton III, he was serving as Acting Country Director of the International Republican Institute in Baghdad. Above all, it was . I think the infamous Maximilian Rochambeau had a club in that building back in the early Nineties. I remember a Mr. Henrys in Georgetown at the same time as the American Cafe but that Mr. Henrys closed around 1980-81 (it started getting mostly straight customers when they hired a teenaged Tori Amos to play piano)and the American Cafe followed suit a few years later. The people that come here are from good families, explained one Chidi-goer at the time, differentiating them from the non-preppy riff-raff. Elmos Fire Now it is an upscale Mexican restaurant called El Centro. Quickly, Williams and McDonalds bashes, based on a Myrtle Beach frat-boy aesthetic they had grown up on in the South, were a sensation, packed with men in blazers and women, according to WaPo, who pronounced daddy as a three-syllable word. 1. The Rainbow History Project: PLACES & SPACES -- clubs, bars - YUMPU I remember waking by the side steps of The Cellar Door and John Denver was just sitting there, strumming his guitar, enjoying some sun. Milos Forman, R. Lee Ermey: More Than Movie Originals, Questions for Chloe: Positive Reinforcement for Better Sleep. For one, its geographic location straddled the line between the prep schools and Ivy League institutions of the northeast, while also having a foot in the South with its fratty gentlemen and sorority belles. And this Georgetown dining room was the fanciest, Frenchest of them all. In the Washington Post, January 7, 1982, there is an account of the unfathomably named Richard Hamilton Herrud Houghton III. we found that we could get into clubs if we dressed up! I worked in a candy/gift store (Sharons Mom and Dad owned it) right across the street from Mr. Henrys,and I also worked just down M Street at Clothes Circuit, so Henrys was a very convenient destination. From 1977 to 1991, the building at 7th and E Streets NW that currently houses a Starbucks was home to one of the area's. I worked there. The space next door was Britches Great Outdoors, Britches of Georgetownwhich sold mens suitswas where Ralph Lauren currently is. At Commander Salamander, punk rockers in concentration camp coiffures gobble up New Wave merchandise just like the middle-class consumers they disdain. Mike is impressed by the complexity of todays craft cocktails, if a little mystified by their appeal. 10 Best Vintage Photos From Washington DC In The 1970s - OnlyInYourState English . He got a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service at Georgetown and a law degree from Catholic University. 10 Things You'll Remember If You Grew Up In The 80s In Washington DC Over the years, it has moved to a few different locations in the downtown area. [My friends] and I were pretty upset about it closing, noted one Georgetown junior in reference to Chadwicks, which shuttered before the new school year of 2014, by now famous for its cheap and unlimited champagne brunches, a preppy mecca until its final days. It wasnt cool to drink draft beer, Mike said. And I'll go down the list and that gets them talking.". For decades, Washington's fancy restaurants were French. Website by Red Clay Creative. Perspective Interpretation of the news based on evidence, including data, as well as anticipating how events might unfold based on past events. Born in Washington, John started at The Post in 1989 as deputy editor in the Weekend section. In Blues Alley and Charlie's, jazz-lovers sip drinks and converse in muted tones. It's impossible to discuss 1225 Wisconsin without mentioning that it was the location of Mr. Henry's from 1967 to 1986. Popular Mobile Games You Must Play In 2023, Revisiting the 1980s Heyday of Georgetowns Fabled Preppy Bars. It stayed open until a few years ago when Vinyard Vines opened up. In 1970, the former boarding house stand-around bar, Old Ebbitt Grill, stood one city block away from the White House. type); blond, dirty blond or light brown hair; a polo shirt with some sort of animal or mammal applique; a pair of madras pants or Bermuda shorts; and your name on the Britches mailing list for its new fall collection.. Wasnt there a regular Britches a little further up Wisconsin, like around where Polo is now? "I'm getting disillusioned with gay life," said the 39-year-old man. Nowhere was that more evident than in our nations capital, which was uniquely positioned to become Americas preppiest party city of the era. 4.5/5 Wonderful! This bar created Georgetowns punk rock scene. By 1968 she was drawing such a crowd to the club that Yaffe opened a special room at his other location near Capitol Hill to showcase her talent. Tales might involve bar hopping, disco dancing, lining up at music clubs, concert crowds or stylish restaurants. Jammed packed, upstairs and down. This location was first the Carriage House, a dining room frequented by many important social and political figures of the District. (John Kelly/The Washington Post). Go down the hill on Wisconsin, pass the Church, turn left and there it was. There was another room in back down a hallway,which had a bar and piano. There definitely was a Mr Henrys on Wisconsin avenue in the 80s. Changed to the Bayou in 1953 with Owners Mike Munley, Vince and Tony Tramonte, The Tramontes sell the Bayou to Cellar Door Productions in 1980, This page was last edited on 2 December 2022, at 07:05. The chain went bankrupt in 2002. If the Ivy League look had been around since the early 20th century, with a true scene emerging by mid-century, it would be mainstreamed into preppy culture by the start of the 1980s. That would be the Class of 1972 at Georgetown University, although, in the end, Mike wouldnt graduate with it. Roberta Flack performed more at Mr. Henrys on Capitol Hill than in Georgetown. We locked the front doors and watched young co-eds from Marymout, Mount Vernon, GTown, UMD all neked and looking pretty good. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "ae994b54ef062d4461bc2a54018d3062" );document.getElementById("gab125c3ec").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Meanwhile, the bars upstairs, outdoor patio was a tiki bar complete with kitschy totems. The Guards: This one was more popular with the post-collegiate set, particularly in W. Bushs Washington when the formerly scuzzy basement became the still scuzzy Gryphon Room. What movies was she in?' Two recent college grads, Nicky Williams and Buff McDonald, asked The Day Lilys aging owner, Jim Chin, if they could start renting his restaurant for Friday night parties. Best jazz clubs in DC. 10. The announcement yesterday of the imminent closure of the Rhino Bar means that come March, there will be no more "college bars" left in the heart of Georgetown. I was pretty cool with the bartenders and doormen and lots of ladies (current and graduates). And before there was an American Cafe next door there was Brits 24 hour diner where all the jazz artists from Blues Alley would go at 4 in the morning and artists from the Cellar Door would hang there, as well as most of the waiters of Georgetown after their respective restaurants closed. Spaulding said Winston's patrons are college students from George Washington and American universities, "which are considered some of the finest academic institutions. Reportedly decked in khakis and polished penny loafers, blond hair and blue eyes, he was a Georgetown junior at the time. This is the scrappy old lesbian bar Coconuts, converted last year into Waterstone -- a pretty tavern for the under-served western edge of Mount Vernon . "I've heard something about the problem ," he said, "but I understand it's a tradition since Georgetown has had nightclubs." The spacious bar offered martinis and Sinatra music, while a preppy look acted as the cover charge. But Mike always had a soft spot for the bar both sides of it. All rights reserved. The Death Knell of Georgetown College Bars, ANC Signals End to Moratorium But Delays Decision | The Georgetown Metropolitan, The Georgetown Metropolitan Forgets its Birthday Again | The Georgetown Metropolitan, Ten Years: The Recent Past | The Georgetown Metropolitan, Mayor Proposes End to Tavern License Cap in Georgetown | The Georgetown Metropolitan, Georgetown Looks Set to Double Tavern License Cap, Will it Matter? It was the spot to be on Sunday nights. I especially remember it being packed on Half-Price Hamburger night (I think this was on Tuesdays). Would eat some nearly every lunch. (202) 338-4833, Georgetown Media Group. There are many ways to recount Georgetowns history. "We want to be free to live as a community and not some kind of glorified freak show," said Paul Chadwell, a resident of Potomac Street NW, who, like many Georgetowners, says he is fed up with the traffic, noise and vandalism that are the byproducts of nearby discos. And nobody mentions Mr. Smiths on M Street in the 60s-70s. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Meanwhile, the bars upstairs, outdoor patio was a tiki bar complete with kitschy totems. In 2014 it was forced to move from its M Street location to K Street, where it replaced longstanding bar Chadwicks due to rising rents. It was the spot to be on Sunday nights. Nightlife. Panelists include: Mike Tramonte: The Bayou Bill Scanlan: MTITV, filmmaker of "The Bayou: DC's Killer Joint" It transitioned toWinstons Pumphouse in 1972, and then in 1996 it became Rhinoa popular if not beloved Georgetown Universitybar. Mike whipped the plate of half-eaten chop from the table. I used to bartend at Winstons in 1990/1991. Occasionally on Wednesdays and always on Saturdays, the premier preppy spot was The Third Edition, or Thirds, a casual, wood-paneled restaurant opened in 1969 that in the evenings would become a nightclub full of Georgetown and George Washington students. Here is another article discussing Garrets closing. Nor the fact that an endorsement from then-Mayor Marion Berry would make September 30, 1986 the final day 18-year-olds could legally drink in Washington. Been to them all, Lets not forget The Cellar Door, The Bayou, The M club, oh my I know theres a few I left out. | The Georgetown Metropolitan. ORileys Pub, opened in the late-1970s by two Georgetown alums one who owned an old warehouse, the other who simply had a catchy Irish name. Revisiting the 1980s Heyday of Georgetown's Fabled Preppy Bars Free Cancellation. Nor the fact that an endorsement from then-Mayor Marion Berry would make September 30, 1986 the final day 18-year-olds could legally drink in Washington. Paul Breton, which later became the Metropolitan Community Church of DC. Thursdays were the big nights Georgetown/American University nights. On weekends, Georgetown is Washington's front porch. It then became a French bistro and then Five Guys and now &Pizza. Currently the AMC Theatre, the Bayou was the go-to music scene from 1953 to 1998. [10], The Bayou was the subject of a documentary produced by Metro Teleproductions, Inc. Maryland Public Television aired the program on February 25, 2013. Not a fan of Rhino, but its a shame to see rising rents continue to reduce Georgetowns diversity of storefronts. This Hugh did. This bar (known primarily as a gay bar) was famous for being the place where Roberta Flack launched her career. But he didnt fall off the face of the earth. [14], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}385409N 770343W / 38.9024N 77.0619W / 38.9024; -77.0619, "Music returns to The Bayou, one night only", "Let the Good Times Roll Historical Marker", "Value Added: A 'passion project' leads to documentary on the Bayou", "Montgomery filmmakers see the finish line with the Bayou odyssey", "The Bayou Doc is About To Go International | MTITV Video Production DC", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Bayou&oldid=1125111874. "My dog's better'n that," replied Costner. There was a bar and a backroom for small venues. Montserrat, Valencian Community Hotels from $54 - Travelocity The Cellar Door was a 163-seat music club located at 34th & M Street NW in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. from 1964 through January 7, 1982. While Chinese Disco had long since moved locations to Prospect Street NW, even it would close in 2018. More than 100 businesses in the area serve liquor. The Georgetown bar culture was filled with much more than loafers, gingham, pleats and shoulder pads, wrote McGovern. Georgetown Piano Bar View Map Address 3287 M St NW, Washington, DC 20007, USA Phone +1 202-827-3236 Web Visit website Gather around the cherry red piano and sing along at Georgetown Piano Bar on M Street, which offers music and live entertainment every night of the week. It was rite of passage. Photograph: Courtesy Blues Alley. The site you are referring to was The American Cafe in the 80s and may have been an Annies Steakhouse before. Visit Montserrat: 2022 Travel Guide for Montserrat, Valencian Community 'Meet Me at the Bar': A new memoir celebrates Georgetown's busy saloon John Kelly writes John Kelly's Washington, a daily look at Washington's less-famous side. Likewise, if in the 1970s, Georgetown was mostly known for its thrift stores (such as Commander Salamander), record shops and even a disco bar called Tramps, that too was in flux. Had no regard for my coworkers. A portion of the discussion will be dedicated to remembering Jack Boyle, owner of the Cellar Door, who died last year. You can stand and talk and see the sights.". The 15 Best Bars in Georgetown, Washington D.C. - TripSavvy Much like today, there was some turmoil, some celebrations and some change. No one was coming to his restaurant any way, so Chin figured he had nothing to lose. In the late 1960s and early 1970s there were so many Georgetown undergrads streaming down the hill to work at the neighborhoods bars, nightclubs and eateries that Mike and his friends had another name for the elite Jesuit university: the Georgetown Restaurant School. I try to pick obscure ones, then they'll say, 'Really, what does she look like? I was a bouncer at Crazy Horse. Tomorrow evening, April 17, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at the Georgetown Public Library at 3260 R St. NW, one of Georgetowns coolest times will be recalled with Last Call; The Bayou, Cellar Door and Georgetown Nightlife., The D.C. Public Librarys Special Collections Archivist Ray Barker will lead a panel discussion of thehistories, stories and insights around Georgetownsgreat venue spaces of the 1960s and 1970s. Winstons, Pall Mall, Pierce Street Annex, Numbers, The Bayou, Bojangles, Windsor McKays, Abbey Road and Pattons, Pingback: ANC Signals End to Moratorium But Delays Decision | The Georgetown Metropolitan, Pingback: The Georgetown Metropolitan Forgets its Birthday Again | The Georgetown Metropolitan. Open in Google Maps. ", But Bruce Norris, cartoonist for The Georgetowner newspaper and a Nathan's regular, goes about finding a companion creatively. She was discovered there by Henry Yaffe, who brought her to his trendy new Georgetown club Mr. Henrys. Not exclusively gay but ahead of its time? It was described as not simply another restaurant closing but rather the loss of a popular community hangout loved and frequented by locals, students,employees, and tourists. It has since been replaced with a Thai restaurant. They say customers park illegally, drink beer, urinate on sidewalks and gardens, and vandalize property before driving away intoxicated. If you are talking the late 80s-early 90s, you forgot Winstons. "Wally, you can punch me in the face five times and I'd still look better than you," said a tall, lanky fellow as he pulled out his wallet. acid jazz and electronica, following the establishment of a variety of bars and clubs in the area, most notably The Black Cat (which was co-founded by Dave Grohl, another native of the DC punk scene). Log In. I could go anywhere in Georgetown and not spend a dime. The protests are known as Mayday. Chidi had been opened as this youthful preppy scene was just beginning to emerge, in 1976. Then I am mistaken. The price is $66 per night. Hes not sure why. self-published memoir: Meet Me at the Bar, Im Hungry. Have you wondered where these bars went? The antique-lined bar at 75-year-old seafood restaurant Crisfield. Log In. If by the 1980s New York was going new wave and hip-hop, club kids and cokeheads, in Washington, DC, a melting pot of fledgling lawyers, bankers and politicos still enjoyed dressing up in boat shoes, blue blazers and Brooks Brothers button-downs to hit the town. In 2014, The Third Edition became El Centro, an upscale Mexican restaurant. Whats a Hoya with a fake ID to do these days? If the Ivy League look had been around since the early 20th century, with a true scene emerging by mid-century, it would be mainstreamed into preppy culture by the start of the 1980s. It occupied the location of a former music club called The Shadows. Yes, a locals place had a great time. One of the more lively approaches is to gather some persons of a certain age, whether those of the baby boom generation or not, and swap stories about the late night scenes along Wisconsin Avenue and M Street. Where: Find: Home / Spain / Montserrat, Valencian Community / Bar Poliesportiu De Monserrat / Bar Poliesportiu De Monserrat menu; By the aughts, now known simply as Richard H. Houghton III, he was serving as Acting Country Director of the International Republican Institute in Baghdad. Mike, 63, is semi-retired now. Spent a lot of time at the tiki bar at Third Edition. I seem to remember a Mr Henrys on Columbia Road in Adams Morgan as well as all the ones mentioned here. There were also the more restrained, upscale clubs like Pisces Club, Charlies Georgetown and F. Scotts for the preppies who had aged out of their old college favorites. It stayed open until a few years ago when Vinyard Vines opened up. All Rights Reserved. But he didnt fall off the face of the earth. Georgetown Bars Now and Then - The Fourth Edition - The Hoya It was a dubbed the original sports bar and was a favorite with the Georgetown student body, visiting college students, tourists and residents of the DMV area. The scene was burning so bright, however, that it couldnt possibly last forever. Remember in the 1980s, DC wasnt doing well, says Alana McGovern, a Georgetown alum who wrote about the neighborhoods bar scene over the years for a project entitled Booze to Bougie. Sometimes we take our pants off and it really bums people out, claimed James Muggy (Mike) Smith, a self-proclaimed filthy rich kid who was wearing a pink-and-green plaid bow tie and pink sweater when he was interviewed in yet another 1982 WaPo article on the scene. type); blond, dirty blond or light brown hair; a polo shirt with some sort of animal or mammal applique; a pair of madras pants or Bermuda shorts; and your name on the Britches mailing list for its new fall collection.. Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/roberta-flack#ixzz1cew9n6YQ. Garretts Restaurant and Railroad Tavern shut its doors for the last time on a Monday in 1979. Bottles placed upside down into funnels feeding long tubing led to the downstairs bars. While in a restaurant the bar is a small part of the overall seating, in a saloon the bar might represent a third to a half of the total seats. The steakhouse was called Dinos Paramount steakhouse and served the best sizzling steaks in the city. I personally took comedians Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor to Brits. Eventually, he went to the Culinary Institute of America and returned to Washington as a chef, creating menus at such places at T. Gregorys (Simplicity does not foreclose imagination, wrote Post critic Phyllis Richman, and T. Gregorys has some original and successful culinary inventions) and Union Street Public House in Alexandria. Reportedly decked in khakis and polished penny loafers, blond hair and blue eyes, he was a Georgetown junior at the time. 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Modeled after turn-of-the-century Chicago taverns, it offered a 50-foot-long bar, gold-painted ceiling, solid oak floor and elevator doors repurposed from Manhattans Waldorf-Astoria. While Im sad to see eras end, Georgetown is due for another chapter, said Georgetown restaurant broker Bill Miller at the time. Drinks were different back then. A one-square-mile neighborhood of cobble-stone streets and stately, federal-style homes centered around the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and M Street, Georgetown nonetheless boasted more than 115 liquor licenses in an approximately 10-block area. "It's okay for young people in their twenties. (202) 387-8411. Required fields are marked *. Then it was taken over by the famous disco club Tramps, run by Washington Playboy Mike O'Harro. Topher, I hate to contradict you but there never was a Mr. Henrys at 1225 Wisconsin Ave. It would become gridlocked with cars as far as the eye can see, according to the New York Times, each and every Saturday night. . It was the first bar in Georgetown that integrated music videos into the bar! M: Past and Present - The Hoya It closed two years ago and became El Centro. She directed church choirs and began taking voice lessons, concentrating primarily on opera, with Frederick Wilkie Wilkerson. I think that may have been replaced by American Cafe, which was very popular. Donal Leace, who sadly passed away yesterday in Texas from COVID19, use to play Sunday afternoon shows at Mr. Henrys on Wisconsin. The Georgetown bar culture was filled with much more than loafers, gingham, pleats and shoulder pads, wrote McGovern. This site seems to confirm that there was a Mr. Henrys at 1225 Wisconsin Ave.: Meanwhile, music remained a central part of Flacks life outside of the workplace. By the 21st century, Georgetown bar culture was dying as students began going out in the Adams Morgan neighborhood instead. Jammed upstairs and down. 7 Jazz Clubs in D.C. for Live Jazz Music - Time Out Washington DC Where: Find: Home / Spain / Montserrat, Valencian Community / Bar Poliesportiu De Monserrat; Costner yelled to a group of giggling girls, as he examined a fake I.D. [9], Though The Bayou generally attracted an older crowd, the club also featured a diverse following including college students from Georgetown University, men and women from the many military installations in the DC area and The Pentagon. If I could turn back time! It offered an onyx bar top, hexagonal white tiles on the floor, checkered tablecloths, draught beer and burgers. "What a wonderful place. Williams also was the GM at the Nissan Pavilion. Prices and visitors' opinions on dishes. The idea was you needed to sell food at the bar, as well as drinks, because it took up so much real estate, Mike says. There are a few prerequisites [for entry], wrote WaPo. There was one at Tenly Circle and the famous Mr. Henrys of Roberta Flack fame is at 601 Pennsylvania Ave SE on Capitol Hill. It was kind of like Tuscany in that everyone had to go there at least once.. The 1980s were the prime years for Georgetown basketball. He's the author of a new memoir, "Meet Me at the Bar, I'm Hungry." He taught at Duke Ellington also. (139 reviews) Can't wait to go back. Yes, definitely Mr. Henrys (Georgetown) was just above M street on Wisconsin Avenue, I think it was #1225. A very civil place six nights a week according to a 1978 Hoya article, the only exception being thirsty Thursdays, when the preppies would invade en masse to Carolina shag a dance descendent of the jitterbug and drop trou, a supposed mating ritual endemic to an era when sexual harassment didnt exist. John Thompson's teams made it to the Final Four three times in the 1980s and won the National Championship in 1984. Does that sound right? ", "Actually, Georgetown is my neighborhood," Smith said. There was high crime, a lot of drugs, prostitution Georgetown was where the going-out scene ended up being simply because the rest of the city wasnt as nice.. Death Of a Disco - The Washington Post