Iconic D.C. Gay Nightclub Town Reopening in Baptist Church

Town, a touchstone for the past decade, will resurface inside a historic church north of Union Station.

Neal Broverman

Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.

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Neal Broverman

August 10 2019 8:31 AM EST

August 11 2019 10:40 PM EST

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It was the end of an era when Washington, D.C.'s Town nightclub -- the capital's largest gay venue -- closed its doors last summer, but it's coming back to life in a surprising locale.

Town will reopen in the former St. Phillips Baptist Church, located in a "rapidly gentrifying" neighborhood north of the U.S. Capitol, according to The Washington Post. The former operators of the church sold their longtime home in 2017 and are decamping to Maryland.

The news of "Town2.0" was confirmed by the club's Twitter account, where the owners acknowledged the coming challenges of converting the decades-old church into a nightlife venue. Town's owners have already requested a liquor license -- indicating the venue will hold up to 524 people and be open until 5 a.m. on the weekends -- though an opening date remains unclear.

\u201cIt's true.\u201d
— Town Danceboutique (@Town Danceboutique) 1565140610

Town originally opened in 2007 in D.C.'s U Street corridor, soon becoming a mainstay of queer nightlife there. Town2.0 won't be the first nightclub to occupy a former church, though; New York's infamous dance palace Limelight operated out of a 19th-century Episcopal cathedral in the '80s, '90s, and 2000s.