A new life for D.C.'s iconic Chateau Lounge

Colorful, hand-painted murals of musicians, musical instruments, and two people holding hands adorn the side of a low building on Benning Road, just east of the Anacostia River. The artwork marks a place — the Chateau Lounge — where for decades couples spent Friday nights hand dancing, a type of swing dance that originated in D.C. in the 1950s. 

The building closed in July 2024, but reopened in April under new owners with big plans. Kia Wallace and Lasharn Monroe hope to keep the Friday tradition alive, but also to host other types of entertainment and become a community hub. Since Chateau Lounge’s spring opening, they’ve booked drag shows and go-go bands, but they’ve also hosted community meetings and town halls.

“We’ve got a bigger vision for this place other than just the celebration part,” Wallace told The 51st.

The Chateau nightclub was first opened in 1967 by Seresa “Nut” Coleman, who ran the establishment until his death in 2016. Under Coleman’s management, this 350-person capacity bar and dance spot on a busy multi-lane thoroughfare established itself as a reunion location for generations of Black D.C. residents. The Chateau became a comfortable place to meet up with old friends and school classmates on Fridays to hand dance. It was a central part of the community — hand dancing is such a big part of D.C.’s cultural fabric that the D.C. Council named it the city’s official dance in 1999. Former mayor and Ward 7 Councilmember Vincent Gray used to be seen twirling and spinning partners on the dance floor at Chateau.

After Coleman’s death, the club was purchased and renamed the Chateau Remix by new owners who ran the business from 2016 to 2024. The owners of Chateau Remix did not respond to requests for comment.

Wallace had promoted events at the Chateau under its prior ownership, including fashion shows and neighborhood support programs for kids, like a back-to-school program where backpacks were distributed. Monroe had attended the Friday hand dance nights for 20-some years. When the two bought the establishment, they decided to update the club's appearance, installing new vinyl plank flooring among other changes. “We have put our life savings into this place,” Wallace said.

The two have preserved what made so many love the Chateau. Each week from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., the club hosts a hand dance night — the area's only regular hand dance event in an indoor nightclub.

But attendance at these events has gone up and down, and Wallace and Monroe know they need to attract a wider customer base to be able to pay the bills. Since their spring opening, they have hosted weekly Thursday karaoke nights and had outside promoters booking go-go bands, gospel shows, LGTBQ+ events, and Motown dance parties.

The new owners want to expand Chateau's role and make it a kind of community center, too. The club hosted a community conversation with Ward 7 Councilmember Wendell Felder about redevelopment at the RFK stadium site, and has also hosted some River Terrace neighborhood meetings. They have boxes at the door for people to donate clothes and canned food, Wallace says, and she plans to work with the D.C. police department on a holiday toy drive. She says Chateau Lounge has been hosting Tuesday morning programs for people with special needs. Both Wallace and Monroe have experience in the construction industry, and say they hope to be able to offer training events and workshops in that industry at the Chateau.

The new owners “are the best thing that has happened to the Chateau,” says Earther Johnson from Maryland. Johnson was taking part in a hand dance on a recent Friday at the Chateau where DJ Reggie was spinning the likes of Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight, and the Temptations. Johnson says she’s attended hand dance events at the Chateau for 28 years, and is impressed with the professionalism of the new owners and their upgrade of the club’s interior. She says while she has been hand dancing at other places, she likes Friday nights at the Chateau best. She has also been to the karaoke night, and hopes the spectrum of events presented will ensure the viability of the club. She likes the way the new owners treat her, she says. "It is like a second family to me."

While Friday nights are billed as hand dance nights, patrons also occasionally line dance — sometimes while waving fans as inspired by the popular line dance to the recent 803 Fresh song Boots on the Ground (Where them fans at). DJ and D.C. resident Cedric Carter, who worked for the prior owners and has been going to the Chateau for decades, is confident that the nightclub “slowly but surely” will bring in large crowds. He remembers times at the Chateau as not only being like high school reunions, but also including actual “family reunions and birthday parties.”    

The Chateau Lounge does face challenges. Wallace acknowledges that “right now it hasn’t worked out with us getting the revenue we need or grants from anywhere.” Monroe says that some prior attendees have wavered on coming back after the 8-months-long closure after the last owners closed down the club. Much of their target audience is older. Wallace says the club hopes to get out the word about their events on their Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok pages. 

The new owners have gotten some attention for the club from outside promoters who have booked and publicized D.C. go-go music shows there with groups including Proper Utensils, EU featuring Sugar Bear, and Push Play. Monroe says go-go promoters have contacted them about having additional shows there in the fall. The club also had a live R&B music event featuring the Shelton Cornelius Price Tribute to Marvin Gaye, and hopes to have more similar events. 

At the end of the day, they’re learning by “trial and error,” Wallace says. Despite their concerns, Wallace and Monroe are confident that they can make their plans for the Chateau happen. Many D.C. dancers are pleased that vision includes the Friday night hand dance.