Fans of Petworth bar Temperance Hall better get up there for their Sazerac cocktails as soon as possible—the bar is on its way out. Don’t throw out your arms in plaintive questions to the heavens yet, though. While the bar will go, a bar will stay; the property has been sold to the folks behind Columbia Heights’ The Wonderland Ballroom.
Following a tip from Prince of Petworth, we caught the Wonderland owners, Matthew McGovern and Rose Donna, at Temperance Hall trying their best to be coy about the coming plans.
“What I can tell you is that the Looking Glass Lounge will be coming around New Years,” Matt teased.
They confirmed that the place will be changing names and that it will have “a little different feel,” but wouldn’t confirm much more than that: “call in a week and we’ll have a better idea.”
T-Hall is one of the local businesses that’s been helping along the transition of the Petworth neighborhood, and it looks like it will be undergoing its own transition very quickly. It ranks on my personal list of top bars in the city, and other DCist staff have a strong affinity for the place as well. It’s worth a short trip up the Green line for a rye on the rocks before it makes its change. Happy hour, anybody?
Photo of chandelier at Temperance Hall from IntangibleArts
