Columns

Columns was a Roman-themed cocktail lounge that opened on June 16, 1961 in the lobby of the Pfister Hotel at 424 E. Wisconsin Avenue. Inspired by the film Spartacus, it featured toga-clad and shirtless waitstaff, live drumming, and elaborate cocktails, and it quickly became a popular gathering spot for gay men who would move between it and the nearby Seaway Inn.

After the Marcus Corporation acquired the Pfister in 1962 and began modernizing the hotel, the lounge was gradually toned down over the following years. The Columns closed in January 1971 and the space reopened that April as Cafe Ole. Despite its prominence, almost no photographs of the venue are known to survive.