So, Haynes - a longtime customer - used his life savings to buy the bar. Haynes, once a longtime customer, said he bought the Arlington bar in memory of her. “It’s like a second home to most people.” 1851 Club owner Dalton Haynes next to the plaque honoring his grandmother. The pandemic nearly ended that run in January, when the bar’s former owners decided to close shop. Hiding among the auto shops lining Division Street, the dive bar has passed through many hands over its 60-year history.
You’d drive right past Arlington’s sole gay bar, if it weren’t for the small rainbow flag painted on 1851 Club’s red-brick façade. KERA’s Miguel Perez and The News ’ Juan Figueroa report on how the pandemic has affected local gay and lesbian bars, and what shifting cultural norms mean for their future. The Dallas Morning News and KERA are collaborating to document how North Texas’ arts and culture scene is emerging from the pandemic. Editor’s note: Reconnecting after a traumatic year of separation and loss is a work in progress.
