Reflecting on Legends Past + Plans for the Future

Upon opening, Legends’ future was uncertain. Now, after 30-plus years of business, the iconic nightclub complex readies for its next chapter in a new home.

“Legends is an institution. It’s one of the best—if not the best—establishments in the entire country.” So says Raleigh City Councilor Jonathan Melton of Downtown Raleigh’s legendary Warehouse District LGBTQ+ nightclub complex.

Those are big words about a Raleigh icon that didn’t even feel safe displaying its name when it opened, and has since weathered four decades of tumult, hate, growth—and a lot of love. 

Overcoming Adversity

When Legends quietly came on the scene in June 1991, they didn’t think they’d make it six months—much less 35 years. To put it simply, the world was a vastly different place. At the time, the LGBTQ+ community lacked representation just about everywhere, and gay bars became a cultural linchpin for a sense of belonging and a safe haven from social stigmas, as drag culture and rave scenes ran rampant through many gay communities the decade over.

Being gay in the ’90s wasn’t just frowned upon—it was, at best, a demarcation (not unlike Hester Prynne’s scarlet A) and, at worst, a literal death sentence. It wasn’t understood. It wasn’t accepted. Gay relationships were mostly underground—and those that weren’t faced public scrutiny. And gay marriage was about as likely as winning millions on your first-ever Powerball ticket. Prior to a Supreme Court ruling in 2003, even same-sex sexual activity was illegal in 14 states. Think about that—it was illegal for two adults to have consensual sex.  

Shame. Fear. Self-loathing. Shunned by their families and communities. Losing jobs, friends, livelihoods—lives. It’s a reality that was lived on the daily. After a rapid rise to top public health threat in the ’80s, AIDs—aka the “gay disease”—had become a ubiquitous term. In late ’91, just months after Legends bowed, mass fear and stereotypes were being perpetuated as legendary gay Queen frontman Freddie Mercury died of a related illness one short day after announcing he had AIDs, and straight—though promiscuous—bball legend Magic Johnson infamously shocked the nation by coming out HIV-positive.

In 1993, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”—allowing gay people to serve in the military, but denying them from being open about their sexuality—infamously became the hot-button topic symbolizing the ongoing tension between acceptance and limitations. 

During that same time period, Tom Hanks would star in his jolting Oscar-winning Philadelphia performance as a gay lawyer who hides his homosexuality and HIV status for fear of losing it all. Ellen wouldn’t even come out on TV until 1997. Will & Grace wouldn’t premiere until 1998. And the first primetime gay kiss wouldn’t air until 2000 on Dawson’s Creek—after Legends was already almost a decade old. 

It’s chilling to think about Legends as it is today against the very real hate-spewed early years that formed it. A brave beacon of hope in an unaccepting world, it took root, transforming the grungy Warehouse District into a sort of underground safe haven. Now, the loud-and-proud splashy rainbow-colored all-are-welcome love hub is laying new roots in the very district that raised it, with a brand-new location slated to open this summer just a couple blocks away from its current digs.

History in the Making

Relatively radical, when Legends quietly opened in 1991, Raleigh hardly had a gay bar scene, save a few spots: Mousetrap (the city’s first LGBTQ+ bar) and Warehouse District duo The Capital Corral (aka CC, the district’s first gay club) and White Rabbit Books & Things. 

The only local establishment in Raleigh welcoming males, females and trans patrons seven days a week, Legends purposely opened across the street from—and as a complement to—CC, to lean more bright lights, high-energy dance vibes and flashy drag queens, says co-owner MC, who joined operations around 2002. “It was a shot in the dark,” he says. “And it worked.”

Together, the subculture spots took over the Warehouse District, giving the gay community an area to romp around and bar-hop—and the “gayborhood” was born. “[The area] was trash,” reflects MC, “which is why we were able to get into a run-down crap building nobody cared about.”

All in the Gayborhood

While the Warehouse District is all but unrecognizable from the ’90s, “the changes with the gayborhood really came into existence primarily because we were all here,” maintains MC. 

Since then, the area has managed to grow its inclusive roots via vibrant signage, rainbow murals and pride flags now flaunted loud and proud. As such, Legends has been a catalyst for other gay bars and clubs to open throughout the city. And though the longstanding spot remains the big kid on the block, fellow LGBTQ+ spaces like Flex and Ruby Deluxe offer variety—further cultivating a safe, open environment no longer in need of hiding. 

“I think the success of all of us relied on each other in some sort of synergy,” proclaims MC. With that said, he notes larger gay clubs are a dying breed, making Legends’ sprawling—and expanding—entertainment complex somewhat of an anomaly. Sure, big cities like NYC and Chicago have their hot spots, but in the last few years, several longstanding DC gay bars have shuttered, and Charlotte has nothing of the same caliber as Legends.

“Raleigh is changing very rapidly,” adds Melton. “We’ve seen in other cities a lot of those gay bars and establishments get pushed out because the areas where they used to exist become ripe for redevelopment and they have nowhere to go. We’re certainly seeing a lot of changes in the Warehouse District where Legends has been located for decades, but I’m thankful they’re part of those changes.”

Few LGBTQ+ bars or clubs have materialized in the past few years in Raleigh, and those already on the scene have experienced trying times (see Ruby’s Save Our Queer Bar Party thrown in an effort to help pay its rent after facing financial troubles). At the same time, the city—and the world—has made great strides in serving up “y’all means all” inclusive spaces that don’t specifically label themselves as “gay bars.”

Standing the Test of Time

Through it all, Legends has remained a trailblazer—and it’s still “kicking and screaming,” reflects MC. Though, certainly, the roles of gay bars has evolved, acknowledges Melton. “For Legends to stick around so long through so many changes nationwide and in the city and state—having a place where you can still be your most authentic self, where you know you’re welcome as you are—I just think it’s really important,” adds the city councilor. 

The how, at its root, is pretty simple. Legends is not just here for the party—though they throw one hell of one. There’s a deeper significance: “Legends has always been known as a safe place where you could come and be you,” says MC. “That was what it was day one. And it didn’t matter what you wanted to do or how you wanted to do it. If society didn’t accept who you are, it’s OK. We do.”

Beyond inclusivity, Legends’ entertainment has also always been a huge draw, contends Manager/Booking Director Trevor Keller. “We’re a drag-heavy bar,” he says of the weekly premier performances where famous drag queens make regular appearances, helping launch Legends into the go-to drag destination it is today.

That live entertainment is especially prevalent during Raleigh Pride Month, in which Legends has been heavily involved since its inception, leading the charge on the celebration until the LGBT Center of Raleigh stepped in and took it over. Growing exponentially every year, Legends’ Pride parties are the place to be throughout the month of June, showcasing huge star power along the likes of RuPaul’s Drag Race judge Todrick Hall, Season 8 vet Derrick Barry and Season 12 winner Jaida Essence Hall.

As far as this year’s Pride, while it’s uncertain whether or not Legends will be settled in its new space, rest assured the epic party will go on. MC still intends to close down the street in front of the club for a street party—with other “big things” in the works, naturally.

What a Drag

As legends often go, it was that very claim to fame that sat at the middle of major controversy in the ’90s, when Raleigh City Council pushed to outlaw drag as then-Mayor Tom Fetzer believed it constituted “lewd behavior.” 

“They wanted us to call [drag] ‘adult entertainment’—just like a strip club,” recalls MC. “It would’ve alienated the gays outside of city limits.” 

In response, Legends took the City of Raleigh all the way to the state supreme court before the city finally caved last-minute. Now, it’s something MC thinks about whenever he sees another bar or restaurant throw a drag show or brunch. Quite frankly, if it weren’t for Legends going toe-to-toe with the city, regular drag events held at the likes of Libations 317 or Raleigh Beer Garden wouldn’t be—period.

But the drag dilemma wasn’t totally done, resurfacing some 28 years later when NC Republican lawmakers filed House Bill 673 in an effort to criminalize drag shows in the presence of minors—though it was stalled by legislature and never became law. 

The Next Chapter

Legends has no doubt lived a hell of a life in its current digs, but “the building has served its purpose,” says MC. “And this move allows us to ensure our legacy continues. We’re still going to be doing exactly what we’ve done for the past 30+ years, we’ll just be doing it a few blocks away.” Since acquiring the new DTR building ~three years ago on an old dusty block of Cabarrus—between the railroad tracks and Eye Heart Tattoo, and spitting distance from the back side of the train depot—MC has completely gutted it to make way for Legends’ ~10,000-square-foot new digs.

Keeping with its MO of having something for everyone, its new home will tout the same themed areas as its native space—think an improved theater, massive outdoor bar, and, of course, the energy-heavy game room and music-thumping dance floor Raleigh has come to love—plus some “Easter eggs” for patrons to spot (keep your eyes peeled for the OG sign currently hanging outside of the building). “We’re going to lose some of the little characteristics of Frankenstein, what I call [the current] building,” says MC. “It’s got a lot of quirkiness, but we’re gonna build some of that.”

As far as why it’s taken so long to find a new landing spot that will carry the legend through its next era, MC cites his own strict criteria—primarily staying in the Warehouse District. 

“It was more than just ‘I need to move my business and be successful,’” maintains MC. “I’m not in it just for that—obviously I have to make money and survive, but there’s a lot more riding on that than me opening a beer and giving it to you to get drunk.”

Naturally, the grand opening of Legends’ new location calls for a blowout—and MC promises a “pretty aggressive party month or quarter” compared to the relatively lackluster opening of the current location. But, of course, there’ll be a closing party for that one too. 

“Thinking all the way back [to the beginning]—especially getting ready to leave the building—and then what I’m leaving is like, ‘Holy cow,’” ponders MC… “just seeing how far it’s come.”  

No doubt memories of the OG Legends will live on in the hearts and minds of everyone who has stepped through its doors or spent any significant time in Raleigh. “Legends has been here forever, so I want to see a stone in the ground that Legends was here,” he adds. “It’s hard not to know somebody that didn’t say at some point, ‘I remember going to Legends.’” And, now, thanks to another dusty abandoned warehouse, the legend will live on.