DC’s LGBTQ+ History: Phase One

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Phase One was a popular lesbian bar on DC's Barracks Row (8th Street SE), which was once referred to as "Gay Way," thanks to its many LGBTQ+ friendly businesses. Allen Carroll and his partner Chris Jansen opened the bar in 1971. Soon after opening in an 1890s commercial building, Phase One became a social space that over the decades was, as described by a Blade reporter, "A meeting place for women’s softball team members, college students, politicos, and feminists," and "a 'must' stop on any weekend round of women’s bar hopping."

In 2013, bar manager Alexis Lombardi told WAMU that on some nights Phase One would be frequented by 20-somethings, while other times it was filled with women in their 60s and 70s. It was a welcoming place that would eventually become one of the nation's oldest lesbian bars. After nearly 50 years in business, Phase One closed in 2016.

This is a stop on the DC's LGBTQ+ History Tour.

This site was documented, along with four other DC bars/clubs, by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) in 2016 as part of its DC LGBTQ Nightlife project.

For more information about DC's LGBTQ History, please see the Historic Context Statement for Washington’s LGBTQ Resources.