(Above photo by Ebyabe, from Wikimedia Commons)
ORLANDO | After 45 years as Central Florida’s most well-known LGBTQ club, the Parliament House resort is officially closing its doors.
Parliament House announced on its Facebook page Oct. 28 that its final dance at its current location will be Nov. 1.
“For over 45 years, The Parliament House has called Orange Blossom Trail our home,” the post begins. “We have to announce that our home at its current location will be closing Monday, November 2, 2020. We put up a good fight over the last 11 months to secure financing and renovate our existing property. Unfortunately, that fight ended today with no deal. Our ‘Last Dance’ at 410 N. Orange Blossom Trail (OBT) will be this Sunday, November 1, 2020.”
Rumors that the Parliament House was in danger of being closed began earlier this month when social media posts pointed to court documents that indicated the owners of the Parliament House agreed to surrender the resort property by 11:59 p.m. Nov. 2. The documents state Lion Financial, the Miami-based firm that holds Parliament House’s mortgage, would be free to take ownership of the property after midnight Nov. 3.
Parliament House owner Don Granatstein, speaking with Watermark on Oct. 5, said he was “smack dab in the middle” of trying to secure the financing he needed to remain at that location. Court documents list the loan amount owed to Lion as $4.8 million.
While Lion will assume ownership of the property, Parliament Partners — the company name the LGBTQ resort is owned under — will retain the name Parliament House and, as indicated by Granatstein in early October and in the resort’s Facebook post, they will look for a new location to open the Parliament House at.
“Although our location may be changing, we hope you will follow us to our next destination here in Orlando,” the post states. “In the coming weeks, we’ll reveal our plans for the immediate future. Although we are sad for the loss, we are even more excited for our future! Once you hear what we have planned, we think you’ll be just as excited.”
Parliament House carries with it a large part of Central Florida’s LGBTQ history and has hosted hundreds of national headlining performers such as The Village People, Macy Gray, RuPaul, Cyndi Lauper, Deborah Cox, Salt-N-Pepa, LeAnn Rimes, Wilson Phillips, Lil’ Kim, Sandra Bernhard and many more.
The iconic club has also been home to some of Orlando’s most entertaining drag queens including Miss P, Miss Sammy, Carmella Marcella Garcia, Darcel Stevens, Gidget Galore, MrMs Adrien and more, as well as hosted many of the queens who has appeared on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
Parliament House will still have its Halloween Oct. 30 and 31. The resort will host its Last Dance Nov. 1.
“We are seriously overwhelmed by the love and support you’ve shown us since our location closing announcement yesterday. Please join us for our LAST DANCE on OBT this Sunday,” Parliament House posted to Facebook Oct. 29. “We know COVID is still a thing, so please wear a mask and enjoy the outdoor courtyard one last time.”
The Last Dance will have no cover all day, with music provided by DJ Brianna and DJ Scott Robert. There will be two final shows, at 10:30 p.m. and 12 a.m., hosted by Stevens.
A documentary was created for the Parliament House’s 40th anniversary in 2015, featuring interviews of former employees and customers. You can watch it below.
