GreenLantern

picPostcard ca. 1970 courtesy RobinMetcalfe.

The Green Lantern building, 1585 Barrington Street, was erected in 1896 (as displayed on the pediment on the top floor). This building housed numerous gay bars and other businesses in the 1970s. At the time, it was between Zellers (which became ReflectionsCabaret) and the Paramount Theatre.

The building was "the hub of the gay community" in 1971 - 1972 says TommyBurns1

Click on the page title (between the banner and the picture) to see all the pages which mention it.

NilsClausson writes: this was the hub of the gay scene not only because of TheeKlub run by DavidGray, but also because it had five small apartments on the second floor all occupied by gay men, including me and Dave and TommyBurns and TommyMiller, as well as others.

TomBurns? also briefly operated a gay book store on the top floor of the GreenLantern Building in 1974 or '75. I also remember TommyMiller, who lived in the GreenLantern Building and was a leading drag queen.

The all-night restaurant in the basement of the building, with its entrance on Granville St, was called Alma's. 2 "The only place where you could get a shot of vodka in a cup and saucer!"3 DeneRoach: "Always a major blast on weekends!! And we loved the overnight and underground "restaurant" called Alma's."4

GordonThomas?: The first job I had in Halifax was in an optical lab in the Green Lantern building. Worked Monday to Friday and then partied at David’s on Saturday5

Someone put together a panorama of the block.6

pic2004

April 10, 2017: "The Green Lantern Building next door is also under construction and will be gutted with its brick facade staying where it is. That project is slated to cost between $25 million and $30 million."7


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Footnotes:

2. November 3, 2013 TimHare? in TurretMemories
3. November 3, 2013 JerryScott in TurretMemories
4. October 2, 2022? TurretMemories
5. October 5, 2022? TurretMemories
7. CBC: "Downtown road closures extended as work continues for new 16-storey building" https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/discovery-centre-downtown-barrington-demolition-tower-1.4064437