The weekend's horrible fire was the latest in a long series of old-bar blazes. The Strib photo archives are full of them, although few took so cruel a toll. Here's one, chosen for its vaguely historic location:

The Starlight Lounge. This was the end of a nightclub that had a long run downtown. For decades it was known as Curly's - this detail from a 40s photo fixes its location right next to the Minneapolis House Furniture Company, known for its noble slogan: "Widows and Orphans Protected!" (I think this meant they wouldn't come after them if the breadwinner died and they couldn't make payments.)

Here's the original signage:

Some matchbooks from Curly's show an upscale place where the top-hat crowd met to see a show and have a civilized cocktail . . .

. . . but for all we knew its time as an upscale club was limited, and after that it was cheap booze and lackluster three-piece combo blowing out dance music for a few couples shoving each other around a tiny floor. In 1939, though, you could drop in and catch an act by Bob Longfield, who specialized in . . . puppets.

Entertainment was different then.

I'm not sure when the block was razed, but it must have been around the time the Gateway went down. The Furniture Company was replaced by the NSP building, and the site once occupied by Curly's became a parking ramp. But an odd one: it had a bar tucked on the second floor with an entrance on street level. It was called Zoogie's, I think, and then the Longhorn. In the late 70s and early 80s it was a punk / new wave joint, the scene of Elvis Costello's first appearance.

Puppets were not involved.