The Double Header was a

gay bar A gay bar is a Bar (establishment), drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ+) clientele; the term ''gay'' is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBTQ+ communi ...

located at 407 2nd Avenue S in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

's Pioneer Square neighborhood, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. The establishment opened in 1934 and closed in December 2015. It was thought to be the oldest operating gay bar in the United States. The bar was frequented by both

gay men Gay men are male homosexuals. Some bisexual men, bisexual and homoromantic men may dually identify as ''gay'' and a number of gay men also identify as ''queer''. Historic terminology for gay men has included ''Sexual inversion (sexology), in ...

and

lesbians A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homo ...

, which was unusual for the time. In the basement of the building, a gay dance club called The Casino operated from the 1930s to the 1950s. The Casino was popular with

drag queens A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and have ...

. Eventually the LGBT-friendly atmosphere of The Casino spread to The Double Header, turning it gradually into a gay bar. In the 1950s The Casino was converted into a diner. The Double Header was established by Joseph Bellotti Senior, replacing a merchant marine bar which previously occupied the space. His son Joseph Bellotti Junior took ownership of the bar some time in the 1960s. Belloti Jr. retired, closing the bar in December 2015 and selling the building in March of 2016 for , with the Ewing & Clark real estate group handling the sale. In 2016 Ewing & Clark president Tom Graff said that a letter of intent to purchase the building was signed by an unnamed potential buyer, and that the buyer intended to convert the building into a live music venue while retaining "the Double Header name and regalia."

Location

The Double Header was located just south of Yestler Way, facing the 2nd Avenue South Extension. This placed the Double Header one block south of

Smith Tower Smith Tower is a skyscraper in the Pioneer Square neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, United States. Completed in 1914, the 38- story, tower was among the tallest skyscrapers outside New York City at the time of its completion. It was the t ...

. By the time The Double Header closed it was situated on a major transit hub.

Pioneer Square station Pioneer Square may refer to: *Pioneer Courthouse Square, a town square in Portland, Oregon, United States *Pioneer Square, Seattle, a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, United States See also * Pioneer Square station (Sound Transit), a light r ...

opened in 1990 on the same block as Smith Tower, and several local and inter-city busses stopped at the 2nd Ave Ext S & Yesler Way stop, in front of The Double Header.

Decline as a Gay Bar

During the 1970s, the

cost of living The cost of living is the cost of maintaining a certain standard of living for an individual or a household. Changes in the cost of living over time can be measured in a cost-of-living index. Cost of living calculations are also used to compare t ...

in the Pioneer Square neighborhood rose as

rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...

prices noticeably increased, pushing the

LGBTQ community The LGBTQ community (also known as the LGBT, LGBT+, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIA+, or queer community) comprises LGBTQ individuals united by a common culture and social movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individu ...

north and across the I-5 highway into the

Capitol Hill Capitol Hill is a neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., neighborhood in Washington, D.C., located in both the Northeast, Washington, D.C., Northeast and Southeast, Washington, D.C., Southeast quadrants. It is bounded by 14th Street SE & NE, F S ...

neighborhood. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer writes that:

References

1934 establishments in Washington (state) 2015 disestablishments in Washington (state) Defunct LGBTQ drinking establishments in the United States LGBTQ culture in Seattle LGBTQ drinking establishments in Washington (state) Pioneer Square, Seattle LGBTQ history in Washington (state) {{Washington-stub