By the mid 1980’s both Harold’s and Waldorf, which were on 527 and 555 South Main Street, were considered by the city officials to be the center of vice and were condemned, with parking structures taking their place. Other bulidings along that stretch of Main Steet were also condemned since they harbored the homeless. The last two Gay bars in DTLA that I remember were the Waldorf, with tough, street smart drag queens and Harold’s, which some say harbored “rough trade” who hung around the bar to get money from Johns who tried to curry special favors from the street smart boys. Many throughout the Gay community have trekked here to support a new renaissance, back to a place that was our hunting ground before the 1970’s.ĭowntown used to have many Gay bars in the 1960’s and back, as witnessed in John Rechy’s “City of Night” and “Numbers” as well as Gore Vidal’s “Salt and the Pillar,” but with LAPD harrassment and the rise of West Hollywood Gay establishments that were under the less stringent administration by the LA County Sherrifs, the DTLA Gay bars slowly disappeared. The theme is an homage to Downtown Los Angeles and the Gay Community. Actually it was more of an art “happening” by Graffitti artist, Aloy, who was spray painting a huge wall space to be the future bar area. Thursday, August 14th, was the soft opening of Redline, the second Gay bar in DTLA.
