Clermont Lounge
Encyclopedia
The Clermont Lounge is Atlanta's
first and longest continually operating strip club
, opened in 1965. Located in the basement of the Clermont Motor Hotel at 789 Ponce De Leon Avenue, in the Poncey-Highland
neighborhood. The Clermont has survived multiple attempts at being closed by the Atlanta city government, and has established a nationwide reputation for its kitsch
y atmosphere and unusual dancers. The Clermont has been featured on an episode of Insomniac with Dave Attell
, and celebrities including Marilyn Manson
, Ashton Kutcher
, and Kid Rock
have been known to visit the Clermont when in Atlanta. Visitors to the Clermont usually alternate between a few handfuls of regulars and large numbers of college students, newcomers to town, and tourists lured in by tales of the Clermont's myriad charms.
The Clermont does not serve food or draft beer. The single stripper's stage is located in the middle of a circular bar, and the dancers choose their own songs on the in-house jukebox
, as the club normally does not have an actual DJ, except for Saturday nights when DJ Romeo Cologne packs the club spinning Dance Party Funk since 1995. The Clermont is perhaps best known for featuring some dancers who do not meet the traditional physical standards for strippers, the most famous of whom is Blondie, noted for her ability to completely flatten empty beer cans between her breasts as well as for her poetry.
leased the entire top floor, with access to the roof when he attempted to muscle in on the good old boy racketeering in the Atlanta area, but he soon moved his operations out of the state. An early advertisement for a nightclub in the basement space is dated 1947 and the club was the "Anchorage Club". Later tenants included the "Gypsy Club" (c. 1951-1954), and "The Continental Room" (1954) before returning to the Anchorage name from about 1956 until 1963, when it was briefly known as the "Atlanta Playboy
Club", an unofficial attempt to capitalize on the popularity of Hugh Hefner
's magazine. A lawsuit closed the Atlanta Playboy Club. By 1965, the "Jungle Club" opened its doors within the Clermont Hotel. In 1968, the "Clermont Lounge" opened for business and has remained in place ever since. The entire building was sold to new owners in 2003.
In December 2009, the health department ordered the hotel to close for numerous health-code violations, including dirty linen, old bedding, bed bug stains, mold growing on the walls, black water spilling from faucets, and broken toilet fixtures.
33.77348°N 84.361302°W
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
first and longest continually operating strip club
Strip club
A strip club is an adult entertainment venue in which striptease or other erotic or exotic dance is regularly performed. Strip clubs typically adopt a nightclub or bar style, but can also adopt a theatre or cabaret-style....
, opened in 1965. Located in the basement of the Clermont Motor Hotel at 789 Ponce De Leon Avenue, in the Poncey-Highland
Poncey-Highland
Poncey-Highland is a neighborhood on the east side of Atlanta, Georgia, located south of Virginia-Highland. It so named because it is near the intersection of east/west Ponce de Leon Avenue and north/southwest North Highland Avenue. This Atlanta neighborhood was established between 1905 and 1930,...
neighborhood. The Clermont has survived multiple attempts at being closed by the Atlanta city government, and has established a nationwide reputation for its kitsch
Kitsch
Kitsch is a form of art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation of art of recognized value. The concept is associated with the deliberate use of elements that may be thought of as cultural icons while making cheap mass-produced objects that...
y atmosphere and unusual dancers. The Clermont has been featured on an episode of Insomniac with Dave Attell
Insomniac with Dave Attell
Insomniac with Dave Attell was a television show on Comedy Central hosted by comedian Dave Attell which ran from August 5, 2001 until November 11, 2004. In the typical Insomniac, Attell goes through a particular city at night, starting out with a minute or so of his performance at a comedy club and...
, and celebrities including Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson (person)
Marilyn Manson is an American musician, artist and former music journalist known for his controversial stage persona and image as the lead singer of the eponymous band Marilyn Manson...
, Ashton Kutcher
Ashton Kutcher
Christopher Ashton Kutcher , best known as Ashton Kutcher, is an American actor, producer, former fashion model and comedian, best known for his portrayal of Michael Kelso in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show...
, and Kid Rock
Kid Rock
Robert James "Bob" Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and rapper with five Grammy Awards nominations...
have been known to visit the Clermont when in Atlanta. Visitors to the Clermont usually alternate between a few handfuls of regulars and large numbers of college students, newcomers to town, and tourists lured in by tales of the Clermont's myriad charms.
The Clermont does not serve food or draft beer. The single stripper's stage is located in the middle of a circular bar, and the dancers choose their own songs on the in-house jukebox
Jukebox
A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media...
, as the club normally does not have an actual DJ, except for Saturday nights when DJ Romeo Cologne packs the club spinning Dance Party Funk since 1995. The Clermont is perhaps best known for featuring some dancers who do not meet the traditional physical standards for strippers, the most famous of whom is Blondie, noted for her ability to completely flatten empty beer cans between her breasts as well as for her poetry.
History
The Clermont Motor Hotel was built in 1924 and was originally an apartment building after its construction, but was later renovated to a hotel format. Hearsay has it that Al CaponeAl Capone
Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
leased the entire top floor, with access to the roof when he attempted to muscle in on the good old boy racketeering in the Atlanta area, but he soon moved his operations out of the state. An early advertisement for a nightclub in the basement space is dated 1947 and the club was the "Anchorage Club". Later tenants included the "Gypsy Club" (c. 1951-1954), and "The Continental Room" (1954) before returning to the Anchorage name from about 1956 until 1963, when it was briefly known as the "Atlanta Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
Club", an unofficial attempt to capitalize on the popularity of Hugh Hefner
Hugh Hefner
Hugh Marston "Hef" Hefner is an American magazine publisher, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises.-Early life:...
's magazine. A lawsuit closed the Atlanta Playboy Club. By 1965, the "Jungle Club" opened its doors within the Clermont Hotel. In 1968, the "Clermont Lounge" opened for business and has remained in place ever since. The entire building was sold to new owners in 2003.
In December 2009, the health department ordered the hotel to close for numerous health-code violations, including dirty linen, old bedding, bed bug stains, mold growing on the walls, black water spilling from faucets, and broken toilet fixtures.
Notable employees
- Tabitha Fringe ChaseTabitha Fringe ChaseTabitha Fringe Chase is one of the first US activists investigated by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force to come forward publicly alerting the media to the targeting of activists under the USA PATRIOT Act....
- Blondie: Best known for crushing empty beer cans between her breasts and writing poetry
- Porscha: Best known for her Little Bo Peep and other colorful costumes
External links
- Official site.
- A couple of dozen vintage ads for burlesque clubs that operated in the Clermont Hotel over the last several decades
- "Because Blondie, the Clermont Lounge stripper-cum-local celebrity with a heart and hair of gold, can crush a beer can with her boobs", Creative Loafing, November 23, 2011
- Images and info from About.com
33.77348°N 84.361302°W