The Pier Photographs

Pier 9, at 1824 Half St. SW to the west of South Capitol St. at Buzzard’s Point, was DC’s second gay ‘super’ dance club (following the Plus A One, on 8th St. SE).

Opening in 1970, the Pier was the first club in this area and known for its two floors of bars and dance floors. Owners included Bill Bickford and Donn Culver. Innovative tabletop telephones allowed customers to talk between numbered tables without moving their drinks or leaving the table, a means of getting around local laws that forbade standing and drinking or moving with a drink.

A second floor dining area was called Piazza 9. In 1972, the Awards Club, an organization of female imper-sonators, began presenting shows at the Pier. In December 1972, the Pier was the site of a ‘reunion’ of the city’s main drag organizations which joined in 1973 to create the Academy Awards of Washington.

Digital files for these photographs have been lost. They included:
Souvenir Shop
Upper Level Bar
Kitchen
Tables
Front Entrance
Hollywood Sign
Bar
El Morocco Bar
Logo
Bartender Standing Behind Bar
Dance Floor
DJ Booth
Man leaning against wall near Hollywood sign
Man standing on dance floor
Man sitting on table top in lounge area
Man standing on stairs leading to upper level
Man sitting in lounge area

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