The Real World: D.C. mansion, which used to house inebriated young adults for the MTV reality television program, will now be home to the Laogai Museum, reports Curbed D.C.
The residence, just north of Dupont Circle, reportedly had yellow wallpaper, pendulum lamps, and a pool table during the filming of The Real World, which commenced in 2009 and earned the lowest ratings ever for the otherwise popular series.
The Laogai Museum, which was once located in a row house on M Street, aims to “document and expose the Laogai, China’s vast and brutal system of forced labor prison camps”, according to the tourist attraction’s website. In Chinese, “Laogai” roughly translates to “reform through labor.” The museum currently focuses on China’s forced labor prisons and political prisoners.
“There was some pretty outrageous wallpaper that might have been left over from The Real World that had to go,” Lisa, a Laogai Museum program administrator, told D.C. Curbed. “But it was pretty bare bones when construction started.”
The brick house served many purposes before turning into a nook for The Real World. According to the Washington Post, the residence had previously been a lesbian bar, a Blockbuster video, an Ethiopian restaurant, and a church, so transitioning into a museum probably won’t be too much of a stretch.