MILWAUKEE — LaCage NiteClub is celebrating four decades of business this year. The Milwaukee hot spot is known for being a trailblazer for the LGBTQ+ community since it opened in 1984.
The club was created by George Prentice and Cory Grubb and is currently owned by David Wolz.
Wolz said his connection to LaCage isn’t just business, it’s personal.
“LaCage has always provided, for the LGBTQ community, a home and a safe space for people to come,” said Wolz. “In fact, it was the first gay bar I ever went to 30 years ago, so for me to actually own this place is kind of mind-boggling to me.”
Wolz said the building LaCage opened in, immediately challenged the status quo of the time, that gay bars should be hidden.
“It was the first gay bar to have completely open windows. Other gay bars in the past would have shielded windows to protect the people inside,” explained Wolz.
Wolz said LaCage represented much more than empowerment and freedom to the gay community. He said the club’s founders are longtime friends and told him how LaCage became an important place to share activism and grief in the 1980s and 1990s.
“There were tons of his patrons who were passing away due to HIV infection, AIDS, and it was a terrible time, and again, it was a place that people could come together as a community,” said Wolz.
Now, as LaCage embarks on its 40th year in business at the corner of 2nd and National in Milwaukee’s Walker’s Point neighborhood, Wolz said he is dedicated to honoring its roots and expanding into the future.
He’s added a new event space, an outdoor patio, and has plans in the works for a rooftop deck.
However, Wolz said, one thing that will never change is the community’s love for the dance floor.
“It’s an energetic, fun place. There’s nothing more exciting than to come in here and see the dance floor packed full of people, just dancing and having a great time,” said Wolz.
He said the dance floor always has been, and always will be, a place where everyone is welcome and celebrated.
“I’m going to continue the legacy that George and Cory started, and continue to provide a safe space for the LGBTQ community and a fun venue for all people to come and enjoy dance and music and fun,” said Wolz.
