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- The Krazy Kat Klub—also known as The Kat and Throck's Studio—was a Bohemian cafe, speakeasy, and nightclub in Washington, D.C. during the historical era known as the Jazz Age. Founded in 1919 by portraitist and scenic designer Cleon "Throck" Throckmorton, the back-alley establishment functioned as a speakeasy after the passage of the Sheppard Bone-Dry Act in March 1917 by the United States Congress that imposed a ban on alcoholic beverages in the District of Columbia. Within a year of its founding, the club became notorious for its riotous live performances of hot jazz music which often degenerated into mayhem. The club's name derived from the androgynous title character of a comic strip that was popular at the time, and this namesake communicated that the venue catered to clientele of all sexual persuasions, including polysexual and homosexual patrons. Due to this inclusive policy, the secluded venue became a rendezvous spot for Washington, D.C.'s gay community who could meet without fear of exposure. By 1922, the Kat's libertine denizens were known for their unapologetic embrace of free love ("unrestricted impulse"), and municipal authorities publicly identified the venue as a den of vice. Over time, the club became one of the most vogue locations for Washington's cultural elites to mingle. Contemporary sources alleged that, during the second term of President Woodrow Wilson's administration, the club's habitués included federal government employees as well as possibly members of the U.S. Congress. After existing for over half-a-decade and surviving numerous police raids, the club presumably closed at an indeterminate date prior to 1928 when Throckmorton relocated to Hoboken, New Jersey. Today, the club's neighborhood is the site of The Green Lantern, a D.C. gay bar. (en)
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