Cardinal Bar
Madison
Summary
The Cardinal Bar at 418 E. Wilson Street was opened in 1974 by Ricardo Gonzalez in the former Cardinal Hotel, and for many years it was Madison, Wisconsin's leading gay dance bar. Conceived in part to reflect Gonzalez's Latin heritage, it became Madison's first Latin gay bar and, by 1975, one of the city's first discotheques. It was widely described as a gay bar with broad mainstream appeal and hosted political fundraisers, rallies, drag shows, and performances.
A 1981 fire heavily damaged the building, but Gonzalez reopened the bar later that year, and a major renovation in 1985–86 added a larger dance space. As other venues drew the LGBT crowd, the Cardinal continued as a popular and nostalgic destination, notable for its Sunday tea dances. Gonzalez sold the bar in 2004, reacquired it in 2009 after a decline under new owners, and finally sold it in 2017, when it closed.
It was among the longest-running nightclubs in the country and the longest-operating LGBTQ landmark in Madison.