Ziegfeld's
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Ziegfeld's/Secrets was a dual bar located at 1345 Half Street SE in Washington, D.C. It is one of the oldest and most respected drag bars in the world.
The bar was circular and divided by a wall with a bar in the middle and doors on either side. On the Secrets side of the venue there were fully nude male dancers (catering to a mostly gay male crowd.) It was one of the few venues in the United States where male strippers are allowed to dance fully nude; in fact, referring to the talent as "dancers" is a stretch as they generally are fully nude and simply stand in place and masturbate, allowing customers to tip and fondle them.
The Ziegfeld's side of the venue featured a large stage adorned on either side by a giant silver high heeled shoe. Each weekend on Friday and Saturday drag queen Ella Fitzgerald, who has worked at the venue for nearly 20 years, hosted her "Ladies of Illusion" for two performances a night (one on Sundays.) The shows lasted approximately an hour and feature five drag queens doing a variety of performances for packed crowds.
The bar was considered an important landmark in gay culture for the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. In 2006 it was bought by the city, and later it was torn down (along with a chain of gay-oriented businesses) to make room for a new baseball stadium. This has been met with outrage and disappointment by the gay community of D.C. The venue's website has stated since demolition that it will be opening in a new venue soon. 1
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