1 minute read
gr gems
The Apartment Lounge is a haven for those in need of community.
BY JULIE TABBERER, GRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC LIBRARY
The Apartment Lounge has a long history in the Grand Rapids community. Visit it at 33 Sheldon Ave. NE
For nearly 50 years, The Apartment Lounge has served as a place “where friends meet.” The LGBTQ bar traces its roots back to 1972 when Ed Ladner and Milt Lennox, a couple since the mid-1960s, decided to open a bar together downtown. Over the next 8-10 years, the bar’s name and location shifted several times before settling onto the northeast corner of Fulton Street and Monroe Avenue as The Apartment Lounge. That building, where the outdoor seating area for the B.O.B. is located today, was targeted for demolition and development in 1987. The Apartment Lounge moved to its current site on Sheldon Avenue in 1988.
The Apartment Lounge is best known for the community built within and around it. The bar has been the setting for everyday social gatherings and also a space for difficult topics. Over a drink you could talk about coming out to your parents or worries you might be fired because your boss found out you were gay. At the height of the AIDS epidemic, the bar was also a place where many talked through the tough news of an HIV diagnosis. The legacy and community of The Apartment Lounge continues today under the ownership of Bobby Johnson, a business owner and longtime friend of Ed and Milt, who purchased the bar from the couple in 2012.
