The Hotel Washington was a building in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

, built at the end of the 19th century. It housed several businesses during the 1970 through 1990s. It was an important cultural center in south central Wisconsin and served as a destination and important venue for members of the

LGBT community The LGBT community (also known as the LGBTQ+ community, GLBT community, gay community, or queer community) is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay men, gay, bisexuality, bisexual, transgender, and other queer individuals united by a comm ...

from Wisconsin and northern Illinois, until its destruction by fire on February 18, 1996. The Club de Wash in the complex hosted many well-known musical acts over its history, and served as a hub of central Wisconsin's live music community. The Hotel Washington organization, through owner Rodney Scheel, was important in establishing

gay pride LGBT pride (also known as gay pride or simply pride) is the promotion of the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people as a social group. Pride, as opposed to sham ...

events in the Madison area, including Madison's seminal MAGIC Picnic.

History

Located at 636 West Washington Avenue in Madison, the Hotel was created at the

Milwaukee Road The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), often referred to as the "Milwaukee Road" , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, Northwest of the United States fr ...

railroad depot in Madison in 1885. Originally named the Commercial Hotel, it was a low-rent hotel and halfway house through most of the twentieth century, until it was purchased by Rodney Scheel in 1975Jones, p. 5B for $190,000. At the time, it also contained a "

greasy spoon A greasy spoon is a small, cheap restaurant – either an American diner or coffee shop, or a British or Irish cafe – typically specializing in fried foods or home-cooked meals. The term ''greasy spoon'' has been used in the United States si ...

" restaurant called the HOT L Cafe. Rodney and his brother and business partner Greg converted the cafe into the Café Palms, a higher-end eating establishment. After Rodney Scheel's death in 1990, his brother, Greg Scheel, continued to operate the Hotel Washington with no break in continuity. At the building's peak in the 1990s, several other businesses were located within the confines of the building: * Rod's, a historically significant

gay bar A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) clientele; the term ''gay'' is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT communities. Gay bars once served as ...

Fibich, 1984 * Club de Wash, a mixed use bar with regular live entertainment * Café Palms, a restaurant featuring omelettes, sandwiches, and desserts. * The Barber's Closet, a basement bar that was a former speakeasy during

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

, and which featured a range of craft cocktails * The Barber's Closet Salon, a working hair salon whose shelf of barber's tools hid a second door to The Barber's Closet (bar) * The New Bar, a teen-friendly dance club * Café Espresso * The Micro Bar, a bar featuring

craft beers Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis o ...

The building also maintained a working hotel with both short and long-term housing. Residents included several retired railroad workers.

Fire

Just after 6 am on Sunday, February 18, 1996, fire broke out in the building. Fire crews arrived at the scene at 6:28 AM. All 16 people in the building at the time of the fire were evacuated safely.The Daily Cardinal, Monday, February 19, 1996 The building was largely gutted. Losses were estimated at US$2 million.

References

{{coord, 43, 04, 06.8, N, 89, 23, 37.8, W, type:landmark_region:US-WI, display=title Buildings and structures in Madison, Wisconsin

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

Washington Hotel (Madison, Wisconsin) LGBT culture in Wisconsin 1885 establishments in Wisconsin