Gas Lamp to reopen with new name, vibe in former East Village gay bar

Gas Lamp, a music venue once located on Grand Avenue, announced it would reopen at a new location with a revamped name after it shuttered its doors last year.

The dive bar and music venue was first established in 2011. The walls on the inside of the black brick building were lined with band flyers and neon bar signs that shined onto the streets. Since the bar will be at a new location, co-owner Ryan Flattery said the name will now be The Lamp in honor of the original venue.

"To make it the Gas Lamp, I mean we could never recreate that," Flattery told the Des Moines Register. "Places move and they recreate and they're just never the same. We definitely don't want to be the same. We want to be similar and have a lot of the old photos ... so we want to pay tribute but not be the same."

Where will The Lamp be?

The Lamp will move to the East Village of Des Moines at 418 E. Fifth St., according to a post from Gas Lamp's social media .

"The amount of love that people have shown and still show for Gas Lamp is unmatched so we decided to bring a little piece back for everyone to enjoy," the post stated .

What happened to Buddy's Corral?

The Lamp is taking over Buddy's Corral, which closed after its 20th anniversary party on Saturday. The longtime East Village gay bar closed after its owner retired.

More: What a new docuseries about The Blazing Saddle reveals about Des Moines' LGBTQ history

What's different about The Lamp?

Aside from the new location, The Lamp will not be a full music venue, according to Gas Lamp's social media , but there will still be some live music.

"This one should bring back a lot of good memories and create new ones!" the social media post stated .

There is a small stage in the Fifth Street location. The Lamp is booking solo and duo acts and will possibly have music performances once or twice a week. Even though it will be at a new spot, the revamped Lamp will still be outfitted with the classic decor, old photos and flyers from the original location.

"We're doing what we're doing because we have all the Gas Lamp stuff in storage from when it closed," Flattery said. "And we were just like 'why not?' But sadly, we don't have the space for full bands like we did in the past."

When will The Lamp open?

Details for The Lamp are still being finalized, Flattery said Wednesday, but he hopes to have The Lamp open sometime in September. Once Buddy's Corral moves out of the East Fifth Street location, more details about The Lamp will be announced.

"This is just going to be a little dive bar," Flattery told the Register. "It's not necessarily going to be Gas Lamp. We're not going to be a full-on music venue."

Why did Gas Lamp close?

Gas Lamp closed its doors on July 9, 2023. The venue's landlord, Krause Group, had plans to renovate the building, located at 1501 Grand Ave., as part of a broader redevelopment effort in the Western Gateway district . Gas Lamp was not included in the renovation plan. The music venue also suffered to rebound from the pandemic.

Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17 .

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Gas Lamp to reopen with new name, vibe in former East Village gay bar