3. Climax Saloon
210 4th Ave North
At 210 Cherry Street (4th Avenue North), the Climax Saloon opened in 1887 was opened by the partners of the George A. Dickel & Company as the primary outlet for their whiskey. Four sculpted angels above the door greeted visitors to the saloon. On the saloon’s first floor and basement was a theater where can-can dancers and other forms of entertainment performed. “The second floor had a bar and pool tables, with the tables being used for gambling purposes.” On the third floor were bedrooms for prostitutes. “The girls offering their services on the third floor would stand along the stairs, and the men would make their choices as they walked up the stairway.” False walls separated the bedrooms with closets inside where prostitutes could hide in the event of a police raid.
Sources
Gaston, Kay Baker, “George Dickel Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey: The Story Behind the Label,” Tennessee Historical Quarterly 57 (1998), no. 2: 150-67.
Witt, Wayne. “’Climax ‘ is Gone .. Memories Linger,” Nashville Tennessean Magazine, July 8, 1973.
Gaston, Kay Baker, “George Dickel Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey: The Story Behind the Label,” Tennessee Historical Quarterly 57 (1998), no. 2: 150-67.
Witt, Wayne. “’Climax ‘ is Gone .. Memories Linger,” Nashville Tennessean Magazine, July 8, 1973.