Down the Street
Encyclopedia
Down the Street was a popular nightclub
in Asbury Park, New Jersey
. It opened in the 1970s under the name "Visions". The club was one of the state's first gay
discos. The name was changed because it was located down the street from other popular gay clubs. It housed a dance floor, bars, light shows, and of course, drag
contests
. The club even earned Asbury Park the nicknames "Gay riveria on the East Coast" and "the budget
Cherry Grove
." When Asbury Park declined in the 1980s all of the other clubs in the city closed or were razed. However, Down the Street managed to stay open, making it the oldest and longest operating gay
disco
in New Jersey
's history when it closed in 1999.
Anybody's. The club was very popular, but met an untimely demise when the city demolished it under Eminent Domain
in 2007. The website announced "Our last day of operation was June 24, 2006. The property has now been taken over under eminent domain for redevelopment."
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
in Asbury Park, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. It opened in the 1970s under the name "Visions". The club was one of the state's first gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
discos. The name was changed because it was located down the street from other popular gay clubs. It housed a dance floor, bars, light shows, and of course, drag
Drag (clothing)
Drag is used for any clothing carrying symbolic significance but usually referring to the clothing associated with one gender role when worn by a person of another gender. The origin of the term "drag" is unknown, but it may have originated in Polari, a gay street argot in England in the early...
contests
Competition
Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...
. The club even earned Asbury Park the nicknames "Gay riveria on the East Coast" and "the budget
Budget
A budget is a financial plan and a list of all planned expenses and revenues. It is a plan for saving, borrowing and spending. A budget is an important concept in microeconomics, which uses a budget line to illustrate the trade-offs between two or more goods...
Cherry Grove
Cherry Grove
Cherry Grove may refer to:in the United States*Cherry Grove-Shannon Township, Carroll County, Illinois*Cherry Grove, Indiana*Cherry Grove, HO-1, listed on the NRHP in Maryland*Cherry Grove Township, Michigan...
." When Asbury Park declined in the 1980s all of the other clubs in the city closed or were razed. However, Down the Street managed to stay open, making it the oldest and longest operating gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
's history when it closed in 1999.
Anybody's
In 2001 the abandoned club was re-opened as the chic gay barGay bar
A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender clientele; the term gay is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT and queer communities...
Anybody's. The club was very popular, but met an untimely demise when the city demolished it under Eminent Domain
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
in 2007. The website announced "Our last day of operation was June 24, 2006. The property has now been taken over under eminent domain for redevelopment."