Premature Closing
2120 Shuts its doors
Bob Siegel, owner of the recently opened 2120 venue at 2120 West Virginia Ave. NE, closed the adult theater Tuesday morning, June 26, in compliance with an order from the city’s Department of Consumer & Regulatory Affairs.
Siegel says the order to close 2120 is based on his certificate of occupancy application listing the venue as ”office space.” He adds, however, that he feels 2120 has been targeted by Ward 5 neighbors because his business caters to gay men. Of the adult gay venues closed by the city’s decision to construct a baseball stadium in Southeast, only Siegel, owner of the shuttered Glorious Health and Amusements adult theater, has been successful in reopening. Siegel, unlike the other businesses, was not transferring a liquor license. A June 11 request for the documents relating to DCRA’s investigation into Siegel’s application has, as yet, not been answered by city government.
”I closed this morning at 6 a.m.,” Siegel told Metro Weekly Tuesday, June 26. ”I’m applying for a new occupancy permit, as an art gallery with admission.”
Siegel plans to submit his application in the next two weeks but says, ”DCRA is so slow. It might take more than a month [to reopen].”
Among the improvements Siegel says he’ll be making for the new permit application are increased air conditioning and larger exit doors, allowing for a capacity crowd of more than 300 people.
Siegel says he’s not afraid that his application will be denied, rather that he’s only afraid of ”malicious gossip” about what goes on at his venue. To that end, he says he’d like to extend an open invitation to Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr. (D) to tour the facility.
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