The Double Header

The Double Header
	The Double Header in 2007
Address	407 2nd Avenue Extension South
Location	Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Coordinates	47°36′04″N 122°19′56″W / 47.60114°N 122.3322932°W
Opened	1934
Closed	December 2015

The Double Header was a gay bar located at 407 2nd Avenue S in Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood, in the U.S. state of Washington. The establishment opened in 1934^[1] and closed in December 2015.^[2]^[3] It was thought to be the oldest operating gay bar in the United States.^[1]^[4] The bar was frequented by both gay men and lesbians, which was unusual for the time.^[4]

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. Eventually the LGBT-friendly atmosphere of The Casino spread to The Double Header, turning it gradually into a gay bar.^[4] 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.^[4] Belloti Jr. retired, closing the bar in December 2015 and selling the building in March of 2016 for US$4.2 million (2016) (equivalent to US$5.5 million in 2024)^[5], with the Ewing & Clark real estate group handling the sale.^[2] 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."^[2]

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. By the time The Double Header closed it was situated on a major transit hub. Pioneer Square station 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 in the Pioneer Square neighborhood rose as rent prices noticeably increased, pushing the LGBTQ community north and across the I-5 highway into the Capitol Hill neighborhood.^[6] The Seattle Post-Intelligencer writes that:

The Double Header was once at the epicenter of Seattle's gay culture, until the city's gay scene moved from Pioneer Square to Capitol Hill in the late 1970s. ...Now the Double Header is no longer considered a gay bar.
— Kery Murakami, No longer at the center of Seattle's gay scene, bar still serving outsiders, Seattle P.I. (June 22, 2007)

^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b Chrystie Hill (April 12, 2003), "Queer History in Seattle, Part 1: to 1967", HistoryLink, Seattle: History Ink
^ ^a ^b ^c "EXCLUSIVE: Historic Prohibition-era gay bar closes — but it may not be gone forever". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
^ Robinson, Yani. "One Last Inning For The Double Header". Jetspace Magazine. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Murakami, Kery (June 22, 2007), "No longer at the center of Seattle's gay scene, bar still serving outsiders", Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Hearst Newspapers, LLC, retrieved May 5, 2025
^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
^ Horne, Deborah (June 7, 2024). "Gets Real: Seattle's gay history hiding in plain sight in Pioneer Square". Kiro 7 News. Cox Media Group. Retrieved May 5, 2025.

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[Historylink-1] Chrystie Hill (April 12, 2003), "Queer History in Seattle, Part 1: to 1967", HistoryLink, Seattle: History Ink

[bizjournals-2] "EXCLUSIVE: Historic Prohibition-era gay bar closes — but it may not be gone forever". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved September 30, 2016.

[3] Robinson, Yani. "One Last Inning For The Double Header". Jetspace Magazine. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2016.

[seattlepi-4] Murakami, Kery (June 22, 2007), "No longer at the center of Seattle's gay scene, bar still serving outsiders", Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Hearst Newspapers, LLC, retrieved May 5, 2025

[inflation-US-5] 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.

[kiro7-6] Horne, Deborah (June 7, 2024). "Gets Real: Seattle's gay history hiding in plain sight in Pioneer Square". Kiro 7 News. Cox Media Group. Retrieved May 5, 2025.

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