No one would talk when I was working on the article, but some readers who know about Club Z’s history have been coming forward to share things. Carolann Inman wrote in response to the statement that “Women were not—and are still not, and have never been—allowed in the club”:

To say woman were never allowed into the “Z” is not a correct statement. I for one have been in the “Z”, when my husband worked there, yes it was still a gay male business. I was also there when the Pope before John died. I sat in the TV room right off the front desk and watched the telecast with a group of towel clad men. I have also been above the first floor to go wake up my husband. And when workers did not show up Jim (the manager) was known to have Dale (my husband) call me to run the desk, so Dale could work the floor. Mark Sauer (a dear friend), who manager the “Z”, passed away in the late 80’s. Unfortunately some of the history of the “Z” will never be found through the channels you have accessed. Some of it lives with those of us who lived here on Capital Hill during the 70’s and 80’s. Although lots of my friends are gone there are still some of us around.

If I remember correctly one other woman has also been inside the “Z”, Tracy way back when. We all partied at the Axel Rock, the Marshall’s Office, and Johnny’s Handbar. We danced at the “church” and went to Morning Madness at the Clock. MDA was the drug of choice, which the gay population kept to themselves, it never transferred over to the straights.

I understand the financial reason behind the owner of the building wanting to develop it into something more profitable. I also understand that the building is and has been a fire trap for many years. Yes the building inside is dark and dirty and when knocked down the roaches and mice will run around First Hill looking for new homes. But a little part of my heart will shed a tear when it goes. After loosing over 100 friends to AIDS for me it will be another old friend gone.

Greg—who doesn’t want me to use his last name—writes:

I was one of the early members of the Zodiac as we called it then. The place when it first opened had no “cubiclesâ€� as today. There were only the rooms as they had been when it was a flop house. The owners were Jim Barrett and Jake, Jake was bi-sexual and lived in Tacoma and I never knew his last name. Jim and Jake had also owned the Atlas Steam baths. The one on 2nd Avenue and before that one it was in Pioneer Square. Plus some after hours clubs before the big police payoff scandal of the late 70’s. Mark Sauer was a manager for a very short time less then you article implies. The shower has been on the third floor as were the “clean outâ€� faculties back in the early days… By the way the Z is far cleaner today then in late 70’s and early 80’s.