LGBTQ America

Jeffrey A. Harris
catered to African
Americans in DC was
African American
owned. When Nob Hill
closed, the former
middle-class African
American
neighborhood of the
1950s was known as
an “up and coming”
neighborhood for
“urban pioneers”
seeking to revitalize a
Figure 9: Nob Hill, Washington, DC, ca. 2003. Photo courtesy of
Todd Franson/Metro Weekly.
Columbia Heights that went into decline following the assassination of Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., and the subsequent riots in 1968. The Wonderland
Ballroom opened in the space a few months after Nob Hill’s 2004 closing,
and it is a vibrant community bar to this day. The new owners are not
interested in having the building nominated.
There are many African American LGBTQ historic persons and places
that were not included in this chapter. This should not be taken as a
judgment against the significance of any of those persons or places, but
instead a reflection of the limitations of space and current research. It is
important that the African American LGBTQ community expand the
discussion of historical legacies to include historic preservation. As noted
throughout this study, historical research, scholarship, and local interest in
African American LGBTQ historic places can be a boon for identifying
individuals, organizations, and places that are historically important. But
there also should be active consideration for what has happened in the
more recent past, as well as what is happening currently in the African
American LGBTQ community. For example, what is the status of the home
of the late “Queen of Disco,” Sylvester? What are the important addresses
of Essex Hemphill, Marlon Riggs, and E. Lynn Harris, and have there been
discussions around preparations for seeking historic designation for their
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