Gas Lamp, a music venue formerly located on Grand Avenue, announced it would reopen in a new location and under a new name after being forced to close its doors last year.
The dive bar and music venue opened in 2011. The walls inside the black brick building were lined with band flyers and the bar’s neon signs glowing out onto the street. Since the bar will be in a new location, co-owner Ryan Flattery said the name will now be The Lamp, in honor of the original venue.
“Doing the Gas Lamp, we could never recreate that,” Flattery told the Des Moines Register. “Places change and are recreated, but they’re 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?
According to a post on Gas Lamp’s social media, The Lamp will be moving to 418 E. Fifth St. in Des Moines’ East Village.
“The love that people have shown and continue to show for Gas Lamp is unmatched, so we decided to bring a little piece back for all to enjoy,” the post said.
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.
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What is different about the lamp?
Aside from the new location, The Lamp won’t be a music-only venue, according to Gas Lamp’s social media, but there will still be some live music.
“This should bring back many beautiful memories and create new ones!” the social media post said.
There is a small stage on Fifth Street. The Lamp books solo and duo performances and will possibly have music performances once or twice a week. Although it will be in a new location, the revamped Lamp will still feature the classic decor, old photos and flyers from the original location.
“We do what we do because we still have all the stuff from the Gas Lamp in storage since it closed,” Flattery said. “And we just thought ‘why not?’ But unfortunately we don’t have as much space for full bands as we used to.”
When will The Lamp open?
Details for The Lamp are still being worked out, Flattery said Wednesday, but he hopes to open The Lamp sometime in September. More details about The Lamp will be announced once Buddy’s Corral moves out of the East Fifth Street location.
“It’s 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-fledged music venue.”
Why was Gas Lamp closed?
Gas Lamp closed its doors on July 9, 2023. The venue’s landlord, the Krause Group, had plans to renovate the building at 1501 Grand Ave. as part of a broader redevelopment effort in the Western Gateway neighborhood. Gas Lamp was not included in the renovation plans. The music venue has also struggled to recover from the pandemic.
Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.
