Ted Eytan / Flickr

Update 1/30/2020: The Alcohol Beverage Control Board has approved Town’s license to open in a former NoMa church.

The proposal to revive the nightclub saw both support and opposition, particularly around noise and quality of life issues. The board granted the application with requirements around the direction of the line and security, along with restrictions on exterior sound levels. WUSA9’s Michael Quander first reported the news of the approval.

Opponents could still opt to appeal the decision within ten days.

Original:
For more than a decade, Town Danceboutique was something of an institution—if not exactly religious, then perhaps spiritual—of D.C. nightlife. The gay nightclub had legions of devoted fans and partiers who came to its sprawling, two-tiered space on 8th Street Northwest for dance parties and drag shows and hookups and nights out with friends.

When it closed last summer, it left a gaping hole for its loyal patrons, many of whom had landmark moments there: “We got here and I started dancing with all these guys and my friends were encouraging me and encouraging all the men. And I was like, ‘Oh my god, I’m gay!'” a nostalgic patron told DCist last June. “I realized that literally at Town. I made out with like seven guys that night, it was amazing.”

Now, it appears D.C. may be getting a Town 2.0, from the same owner who opened up the first iteration, John Guggenmos. Guggenmos has applied for a liquor license under the LLC Town 2.0, reports food news Twitter account Eat DC. The new Town location is planned for a former church at 1001 North Capitol Street Northeast, and requests a total occupancy of 524 with outside seating for 125, per the Twitter account.

The Town Twitter account confirmed the news later in the evening. “After two full years of searching for a potential new space for a nightclub for the LGBTQ community, we are excited to confirm that we have found a space that has remarkable potential,” the post reads. “It is a former church located at the corner of North Capitol and K Streets which is truly spectacular, and while it is no small undertaking, we look forward to creating a brand new, dynamic nightlife experience for D.C.”

The space had belonged to the St. Phillips Baptist Church, where congregants gathered to worship since 1948. The church sold the building and moved to a new location in Temple Hills, Maryland, where it had its first services on November 4, 2018.

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