The Odyssey
Address
8471 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048
Active Dates
1976 - 1985
Jarzomb, Leo. Going into Odyssey, a popular dance club on the West Side. 1985. Los Angeles Herald Examiner Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library. https://tessa2.lapl.org/digital/collection/photos/id/16504.
About this location
The Odyssey opened in 1976, and became a popular all ages nightclub with gay and straight patrons alike. While it was not advertised as a gay club, many young gay men and lesbians felt at home there. In the Mazer community, Kymn Goldstein mentioned spending time there at age 15 and Rita Gonzales remembered dancing there. Some lesbians stayed away, feeling it was too male and too white. The club closed in 1985 after years of efforts by neighbors to close it down over noise and drug use complaints.
Categories
Sources
- William-Ross, Lindsay. "LAistory: The Odyssey, The All-Ages Dance Club Owned By a Famed Criminal That Mysteriously Went Up in Flames." LAist, August 16, 2012. https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/laistory-all-ages-dance-club-the-od.
- "Odyssey (Beverly)." ONE Archives at the USC Libraries. Accessed September 23, 2026. https://one.usc.edu/story/odyssey-beverly.
- "Queer Maps — Odyssey." Accessed September 23, 2026. https://www.queermaps.org/place/odyssey1.
- Gonzales, Rita. Interview by Angela Brinskele. July 29, 2026. June L Mazer Lesbian Archives.
- Bronson, Jeannette. Interview by Angela Brinskele. August 12, 2026. June L Mazer Lesbian Archives.
- Spheeris, Linda. Interview by Kymn Goldstein. August 25, 2026. June L Mazer Lesbian Archives.