Dean’s Lounge, a gay bar, opened at 11120 Clifton Boulevard in 1979. Dean Salivaras, owner and operator of Dean’s Lounge, opened the bar to “provide a relaxing and fun spot for customers to enjoy a drink on the way home.” Dean’s main bar and lounge had a somewhat “mellow atmosphere,” while a “disco dance floor…adjacent to the main bar” provided opportunities for high-energy dancing. Dean’s Lounge closed in 1982 due to “difficulties with a 1974 zoning ordinance and decreased patronage.”
Additional information coming soon.
Resources
- Howard, Carl. “New Gay Spot Opens on West Side.” High Gear. November 1979. Page 16.
- Gear, Claudia H. “Dean’s Rumors at City Hall.” High Gear. October 1981. Page 1.
- Nosek, John, and Leon Stevens. “Gay Community 1970s.” Encyclopedia of Cleveland History.
- Suhay, Bill. “Dean’s Lounge Celebrates First Anniversary.” High Gear. November 1980. Page 5.