box house

MaryW commented on the word box house

Seattle pioneered a new type of vice, the notorious box house. An auditorium and stage would be ringed around with second-level rooms, each with a door to a corridor, a window toward teh stage, and a sofa. The women who performed on stage would often also circulate in the corridors, serving drinks and servicing customers.

Christopher T. Bayley, Seattle Justice: The Rise and Fall of the Police Payoff System in Seattle (Seattle: Sasquatch Books, 2015), ch. 1

In 1894, liquor sales were prohibited in box houses, quickly putting most out of business.

Id.<blockquote>In 1898, the theatrical impresario and entrepreneur John Considine decided to stay ahead of the competition by providing a better product. In his box houses, he separated the two professions of actress and prostitute, paying a higher wage to his entertainers who no longer circulated among the boxes.</blockquote>Id.

January 17, 2016