THE STONEWALL INN, 51-53 CHRISTOPHER STREET (IN SHERIDAN SQUARE AT SEVENTH AVENUE SOUTH). These two buildings erected in the 1840's as stables, were combined in the 1920's into one two story building. In 1969 (the year of the infamous Stonewall riots) it was the most popular gay bar in Greenwich Village. In 1966, this space which had previously been a car garage, was converted into a bar/nightclub. All without any major expense. Everything was painted black, including the windows. The first room had a long bar and large dancefloor. The second room (much smaller) was darker and much more cruisy, with men standing around checking each other out. ****It was run by the mob, as a private club. On entering the club you had to fill out a sheet of paper with your name, address, and age that was kept in a box at the front door. There was no cover during the week, but in order to keep out "the riffraff"" there was a small cover charge on the weekends. Dancing nightly on the front bar were groups of scrawny go-go boys. ****On the night of June 27th 1969 (a Friday) Deputy Inspector, Seymour Pine and seven other officers from the Public Morals Section of the First Division of the New York City Police Department, entered the club, and closed it for selling liquor without a license. There was a skuffle but the riot actually occured on Saturday, the following night. ****In the early eighties it was a wood furniture/craft store, and bagel shop. In the late eighties it reopened again as the Stonewall Inn, and is still very popular. In 1997 they remodeled and opened a very sleak dance floor upstairs. And more recently have opened a restaurant around the corner on 7th Avenue.
Want to read the NY Daily News Article (July 6, 1969) about the Stonewall Riots?

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THE SNAKE PIT, 211 WEST 10TH STREET, (BETWEEN BLEEKER AND WEST 4TH STREET). In what is now a bricked up brownstone basement, was in 1970 an afterhours club called The Snake Pit. Less than a year after the Stonewall riots, in March of 1970, the police raided and arrested all of the customers (over 150) and the few bar employees and took them to the Sixth Precinct (further down 10th Street). One of the arrested patrons was a young Argentine national named Diego Vinales. Once at the station house he panicked and tried to escape by jumping from a second floor window, and landed on the six spiked prongs of a wrought-iron fence. The fence had to be cut, and he and the fence were taken to St. Vincents Hospital, where a candlelight vigil soon began. ****Protesters, with placards and flyers marched on the station house demanding retribution for what had happened to Diego. Word had spread, saying that he had been pushed. The protesters took out their anger in front of the station house on the police themselves, and by denting some cars. Diego was released from St. Vincents a few days later.

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STEWART'S CAFETERIA, 89 CHRISTOPHER STREET,(CORNER OF CHRISTOPHER AND SEVENTH AVENUE SOUTH, IN SHERIDAN SQUARE). Now it's a GNC, but in the 1920's it was Stewart's Cafeteria, a very popular restaurant with large windows to watch the boys walk by. It seemed as if everyone that was part of gay society ate here. You could get a whole meal and a view for as little as .75 cents. In the 70's upstairs was the busiest gay gym in the village, The Village Gym. While cruising down Christopher Street you could see pumped up men doing curls and jumping rope. In the summer when the windows were open the whole block echoed with the grunts and groans of the guys straining to press heavy weights. The gym has now become a women only gym.

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KELLER'S, 384 WEST STREET, (BETWEEN CHRISTOPHER AND BARROW). This building "The Keller Hotel," built in 1898, was a hotel and boarding house that catered to the seamen and dockworkers that worked on the piers across the street. Originally, the bar opened as a straight bar, but in the 50's it became gay, and was then one of the first leather bars in the city. When I came out (in the late '70's) it had one of the best juke boxes in the city, filled with music that would become known as disco. Keller's Bar closed in 1998.

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THE RAMROD, 394 WEST STREET, (BETWEEN CHARLES AND WEST 10TH STREETS). Constructed in the 1850's this building (actually two, that were attached) housed S.J. Seely & Co., a lime dealer, and C. August, (on the corner) a porter house, and private residence. In the late 70's it was one of the most popular leather bars in New York. Attracting a large motorcycle clientele, West Street always had a plethora of bikes parked out front. The doorman, Rico, had a long black bushy beard, and an ever present black cowboy hat, also he wore on his hand a glove with sharp stainless steel blades attached to it, (sort of a precurser to Freddie Kruger). The bar, and Rico could be very intimidating, if you were new, or "Brown" as the uninitiated were called...refering to the brown leather they wore.

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THE ANVIL, 500 WEST 14TH STREET, (SOUTHWEST CORNER OF TENTH AVENUE). Built in 1908 by the Conner Brothers, this building was originally known as "The Strand Hotel." The three-story hotel catered to sailors, and later on to truckers. In the '20's The ground floor contained storefronts. In the late 70's early 80's this pizza-slice shaped building was the highlife of underground gay life. Opened in the Fall of 1974. The main floor disco/bar/perfomance area had everything going on at once. There were drag perfomers such as Candy Stevens that would perform bizarre acts with a five foot snake while fire-eating. Other drag performers were "The Famous Yuba" who was one of the first performers there and who stayed until the end. Loretta Fox, Dana Terrell, "The Long Legged Lady of The Night..."Arien West, Diana del Rio, The Amazing Electrifying Grace, Brandon Forte, and the MC was Chico Starr. Few are left today. AIDS snuffed out many of these stars, including Candy Stevens. Also Roy, the fan-dancer, and the naked go-go boys dancing, (and twirling from ropes suspended from above the bar - occasionally knocking over the errant cocktail,) made The Anvil the premiere after-hours venue. The drag shows featured intermissions of fisting and sex scenes on stage. All this while downstairs in dark cavernous underground backrooms hundreds of men would meet, greet, and "do the deed." Then return upstairs to continue dancing until 11am. It closed in 1986 with the city crack down on unsafe sex. It is now "The Liberty Inn Motel." (Thanks to - Brian for additional information)

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THE MINESHAFT, 835 WASHINGTON STREET, (NORTH EAST CORNER OF LITTLE WEST 12TH). The building constructed in 1927 as an ordinary business office, would become the most incredible sex-palace in the '70's. Opened in October 1976 and closed in 1985. Yes, this pink building was the Mineshaft. The most infamous sex club there ever was. It wasn't always pink though. But it was always greasy. The building itself started out as a meat packing plant (afterall, we are in the meat packing district). Upstairs, the front room featured a pool table and a bar, and a clothes check. A backroom, with slings, glory-holes, and a little stage area. Downstairs, were the "tubs;" huge tubs filled with urine soaked men, gladly receiving more.

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UNCLE PAUL'S, 8 CHRISTOPHER STREET, (BETWEEN SIXTH AVENUE AND SEVENTH AVENUE SOUTH). In what now is Piece's Bar, in the 70's it was a notorious hustler/chicken pick-up joint. It usually had very old men purchasing for the evening, kids that couldn't have been older than 14 of 15. ****In the 80's for a short time it was a very chic bar/restaurant called, "Pharaoh's" And as you can guess it had an Egyptian themed decor, featuring two huge theatrical gilt mummy's. All of the bartenders and waitstaff wore gold lame sarongs. The food though was continental.

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