'Rainbow Room' in Madison was opened in October 1999 by "Ed, Terry and Jim". Rainbow Room was for several years an alternate stop in downtown Madison, as it was just a few steps away from the ever-popular Shamrock bar. (A Grand Opening advertisement even calls The Shamrock their "Sister Bar".)

Rainbow Room was to be the fifth, and most successful, in a long line of names for an LGBT bar in this location (121 W. Main Street, Madison) over a period of just 4 years:

• R Place (May-December 1996)
• Scandals (March-October 1997)
• Kirby's Klub (October 1997-July 1999)
• Millenium (July-August 1999)
• Rainbow Room (August 1999-December 2004)

The bar had several active years, with shows, pageants, and many parties. Stripper as well as drag shows were also popular draws. On Friday and Saturday nights there was a regular flow of people between Rainbow Room and Shamrock.

The bar's demise is unclear, pending further research. An article in Quest v10-08 in July 2003 mentions that "by the time you all read this the Rainbow Room will be closed". But a mention was then made in the column 'Tales from the Trailer' by Terry Halverson in the September 2003 issue of OutBound magazine that reads: "...I decided to check out the NEW RAINBOW ROOM... The bar was full. Matt & Bob were tending bar, and yes, (it was) both GAY and very hospitable..." From this, we speculate the bar may have changed ownership around mid-2003.

We have located a single ad from 'Out Bound' magazine vol. 3-02 (February 2004 issue) for the "New Rainbow Room", and it was listed in 'OutBound' magazine's bar guide through their vol. 4-01 (January 2005 issue), but not thereafter. We assume it finally closed either late in 2004 or the first few weeks of 2005./p>

Any information about this business is welcomed from anyone who can contribute it.