The Casino (Seattle) Explained

The Casino
Nickname:Madame Peabody's Dancing Academy for Young Ladies
The Dance
Address:172 S. Washington Street
Location:Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Opened:1930
Operator:John and Margaret Delevitti

The Casino (nicknamed "Madame Peabody's Dancing Academy for Young Ladies" and "The Dance") was a gay and lesbian dance club, café, pool hall, and card room located in Pioneer Square in Seattle.[1] [2] It was opened by Joseph Bellotti in 1930 in the basement of the building where The Double Header was located. It was known as one of the places most welcoming of gays on the West Coast.

History

The Casino was a venue occupying the space of the former People's Theater, which had been in operation from 1890 to 1904.[3] The club was run by John and Margaret Delevitti,[4] a heterosexual couple that cared for gays in the city.[5] The club was known as one of the places most welcoming of gays on the West Coast, and became popular with drag queens.

At the time, it was not widely allowed for men to dance together, but they were allowed to do so at The Casino, because the establishment paid off local policemen. This fact made the establishment popular, via an underground network of information about nightlife for gays and lesbians, and caused it to be known as something of a speakeasy. Prior to the legalization of dancing of same-sex couples, same-sex contact at The Casino was primarily through conversations and stealthy eye contact via the bar's mirrors.[6]

In the mid-1950s, The Casino was converted into a diner.[7] It was named in a 1966 investigative article in The Seattle Times as one of the bars which attracted a gay clientele; the Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board had added The Casino to a list of 14 bars "under investigation for homosexual activity", but for unspecified reasons recommended that it be "dropped from observation".[8]

Legacy

Interdisciplinary artist Storme Webber created a 2017 museum exhibition called Casino: A Palimpsest, based on her memories of visiting the establishment with her mother in the 1960s.[9] She experienced The Casino during its history as a diner, but still as an important meeting place for marginalized communities. The exhibit was displayed at the Frye Art Museum.[10]

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Queen City Comes Out: Exploring Seattle's Lesbian and Gay History . The Northwest Lesbian & Gay History Museum Project . OutHistory.org . 12 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190603023824/http://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/queen-city-comes-out/pioneer-square/1950s . 3 June 2019 . live .
  2. Web site: Jones . Sam . Seattle's Gay Bar Scene Is Changing—and That's a Good Thing . Seattle Met . 14 December 2019 . 27 June 2019 . 12 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191212192300/https://www.seattlemet.com/articles/2019/6/27/seattle-s-gay-bar-scene-is-changing-and-that-s-a-good-thing . live .
  3. Web site: Seattle Historical Sites . seattle.gov . 14 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191215060225/https://web6.seattle.gov/DPD/HistoricalSite/QueryResult.aspx?ID=-768675463 . 15 December 2019 . live .
  4. Web site: Casino Pool Room, one of the earliest Seattle establishments for gays, opens in 1930 . Greg Lange . 28 May 1999 . HistoryLink.org . 13 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191212192138/https://historylink.org/File/1167 . 12 December 2019 . live .
  5. Book: Masculinities and Place . Andrew . Gorman-Murray . Peter . Hopkins . 6 May 2016 . 305 . Routledge . 9781317100003 . 13 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191215060225/https://books.google.com/books?id=HCsfDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA305 . 15 December 2019 . live .
  6. Web site: Pioneer Square and the Making of Queer Seattle: A Story Map . Julian Barr . . 14 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191215052917/https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=594c28fb10b84bbda0545a2846fb4d1b . 15 December 2019 . live .
  7. Web site: Storme Webber's Stories of Survival . Christy Carley . 9 August 2017 . Seattle Weekly . 15 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191109220048/https://www.seattleweekly.com/arts/storme-webbers-stories-of-survival/ . 9 November 2019 . live .
  8. Book: Atkins, Gary. Gay Seattle: Stories of Exile and Belonging. University of Washington Press. 2011. 978-0295800998. 91, 391. 15 December 2019. 5 September 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230905193729/https://books.google.com/books?id=qQ41CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA391. live.
  9. Web site: The Indigenous Family That Found Refuge in an Old Seattle Gay Bar . Emily Pothast . 11 October 2017 . theStranger.com . 13 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191215060224/https://www.thestranger.com/visual-art/2017/10/11/25457501/the-indigenous-family-that-found-refuge-in-an-old-seattle-gay-bar . 15 December 2019 . live .
  10. Web site: Culture News: Two Pioneer Square Artists Win Award, TWIST Begins, And Seattle's Supergroup Who Is She? . Amber Cortes . theStranger . 12 October 2017 . 14 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191215060222/https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2017/10/12/25468652/culture-news-two-pioneer-square-artists-win-award-twist-begins-and-seattles-supergroup-who-is-she . 15 December 2019 . live .

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