Baltimore eagle gay bar
The area is known as Baltimore’s “gay hub,” however increasing gentrification and heterosexual involvement have become a growing concern for tolerance within Mount Vernon. Lounge were located in Mount Vernon, the same area where Grand Central stands. Grand Central’s business seemed to pick up a lot after Eagle.”īoth The Hippo and G.A.Y. “It was very cool and welcoming, but it didn’t last. The Eagle was the very first club that I went to,” Hanks said. “It’s now one of the few places where we can go to and be gay. Odin Hanks, a Baltimore club-goer, believes the diversity of Central’s attendees are a direct result of the city’s many LGBTQ club closures. Lounge closed in 2017, when owners couldn’t decide whether or not to sell the space. The Hippo closed in 2015, after its owner agreed to lease the site to CVS. The Quest Bar in East Baltimore closed in 2014, after its owner sold the location to developers to build townhomes. The Eagle was bought in 2012, closed after a year, and reopened again in 2017. The Baltimore Eagle, a gay leather bar, opened the same year as Grand Central. “There’s not a ‘typical’ person that comes to Central.”īaltimore has had a history of clubs that are friendly to the LGBTQ+ community, but many have closed. “Central has a more general crowd,” Odachowski said. Odachowski called himself a “broadway queen,” and shared that although some clubs don’t accept that niche, Grand Central accepts them all. The “newbie” drag queen became a well-known Baltimore performer in under a year. “It’s also been a nice place where every week, I get inspired by new things.”Ĭodey Odachowski, also known as Venus Fastrada, struts in front of Baltimore’s Grand Central. “It’s been a very beneficial place for my growth,” Odachowski said. Odachowski began his drag career on that stage, and a year later he was one of the most prominent queens in Baltimore’s drag community. Inside Grand Central sits a double-sided bar, with one side leading to an open lounge and the other side to a dance floor and stage. Davis transformed it into a small business before expanding the pub in 2003 to become what is now known as Grand Central. Club owner Don Davis bought the spot in 1991, when it was still a historic Baltimore townhouse.
Grand Central is one of the last surviving LGBTQ+ inclusive clubs in Baltimore. “Central really was the first place to give me opportunities.” “I love Central,” said Codey Odachowski, a 23-year-old Baltimore drag queen known as Venus Fastrada. The drag queens of Central call the club their home, one that they hope won’t abandon them like the clubs of their past. Freshly styled wigs, patent leather stilettos, and piles of makeup cluttered the small dressing room of Grand Central, an LGBTQ+ inclusive club located in Baltimore.