Stonewall Inn

The Stonewall Inn is a gay bar and recreational tavern at 53 Christopher Street in Greenwich Village, Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is internationally recognized as the site of the Stonewall uprising, a series of confrontations between patrons and police that began after a raid in the early hours of June 28, 1969, and continued for several nights. The uprising became a defining event in the development of the modern LGBTQ rights movement in the United States, although it emerged from a longer history of police harassment, discriminatory liquor regulation, criminalization, and organizing by LGBTQ people in New York. The business has roots in a venue called Bonnie's Stone Wall, opened by Vincent Bonavia as a Prohibition-era speakeasy in 1930 on Seventh Avenue South. It moved to 51–53 Christopher Street in 1934 after the repeal of Prohibition. The premises had previously been constructed as horse stables in the 1840s and later housed a bakery and restaurant. The restaurant operated under several related names before closing in the mid-1960s after a fire and a period of vacancy. In 1966, investors associated with the Genovese crime family acquired and converted the premises into a gay bar. Stonewall opened in that form in March 1967. Because New York liquor regulations effectively prevented openly LGBTQ venues from obtaining ordinary liquor licenses, the bar operated as a private club. Customers signed a register, paid admission, and received drink tickets. The establishment provided dancing and social space for a broad range of LGBTQ people, including young gay men, drag performers, transgender and gender-nonconforming patrons, people of color, and homeless or socially marginalized youth. Its importance was heightened by the scarcity of venues where same-sex couples could dance openly and where people excluded from more respectable gay establishments could gather. The original bar was known for both its social significance and its poor conditions. Police raids were frequent, despite payments made by the operators to police and other intermediaries. The raid of June 28, 1969, provoked resistance from patrons and passersby, including people who had long experienced police surveillance and abuse. The resulting uprising transformed Stonewall from a local bar into a global symbol of LGBTQ resistance. The original business closed soon afterward, and the premises were subsequently occupied by other businesses. A new bar opened at 53 Christopher Street in 1990. Initially called New Jimmy's, it later adopted the Stonewall name. After several changes in management and ownership, the venue closed in 2006 and reopened in March 2007 under new operators. The contemporary Stonewall Inn functions as a bar, performance venue, event space, and LGBTQ community institution. It also serves visitors interested in the history of the uprising and the surrounding Greenwich Village LGBTQ heritage. The building is part of the Stonewall National Monument, established by the United States federal government in 2016 as the first U.S. national monument dedicated to LGBTQ rights and history. The site is also a New York City landmark and a National Historic Landmark. In the 2020s, the adjoining building at 51 Christopher Street became associated with visitor services for the national monument. Although the interior has changed substantially and the present business is not continuously operated by the same owners as the 1960s bar, the Stonewall Inn remains one of the most recognizable LGBTQ cultural landmarks in the world.

The buildings at 51 and 53 Christopher Street originated as horse stables constructed in the 1840s. The older structure was built in 1843 and expanded later in the nineteenth century; the adjoining building followed in 1846. In 1930, the buildings were combined and redesigned with stucco façades in the Arts and Crafts style. Their ground floors housed commercial businesses, including a bakery. That same year, Vincent Bonavia opened Bonnie's Stone Wall, a Prohibition-era speakeasy on nearby Seventh Avenue South. The venue was raided in December 1930, and Bonavia moved the business to Christopher Street in 1934 after national Prohibition ended. The establishment operated as a restaurant and hosted banquets, weddings, and community functions. Over time it was known as Bonnie's Stonewall Inn and the Stonewall Inn Restaurant. A fire damaged the interior in the 1960s, and the restaurant closed by 1966. In the mid-1960s, Greenwich Village was an important LGBTQ neighborhood, but LGBTQ bars faced discriminatory licensing rules and police harassment. Investors connected to the Genovese crime family acquired the premises in 1966 and converted them into a gay bar. Stonewall opened on March 18, 1967. Because ordinary liquor licensing rules treated the presence of LGBTQ patrons as evidence of disorderly conduct, the bar operated as a private club. Customers signed a register, paid an entrance fee, and exchanged drink tickets for beverages. The operators altered the building to protect the business from raids. Windows were blacked out, doors were reinforced, peepholes and multiple locks were installed, and the interior was painted dark. The club included a long bar, two dance floors, booths, a jukebox, and separate restrooms. Its lack of a proper emergency exit, poor sanitation, watered-down drinks, and repeated police attention reflected the precarious conditions under which many LGBTQ venues operated at the time. Stonewall attracted young gay men but also welcomed a wider and more socially marginal group than many other establishments. Drag queens, transgender and gender-nonconforming people, women, people of color, homeless youth, and others who faced exclusion elsewhere found varying degrees of acceptance there. The venue was particularly important because it allowed same-sex couples to dance together openly. At the same time, the bar's Mafia ownership, alleged blackmail, drug activity, and unsafe conditions made it controversial within parts of the LGBTQ community. Police raids were common. On June 28, 1969, officers entered the bar in another raid, but patrons and people outside resisted rather than dispersing quietly. The confrontation developed into several nights of demonstrations and street conflict around Christopher Street and Christopher Park. The uprising did not create LGBTQ activism from nothing, but it accelerated and reshaped existing organizing. New activist groups formed, and the anniversary became the basis for annual pride marches in New York and other cities. The original business closed soon after the uprising. The buildings were divided and leased to other businesses during the following decades. In 1990, Jimmy Pisano opened a bar at 53 Christopher Street, first calling it New Jimmy's and later restoring the Stonewall name. After Pisano's death in 1994, Thomas Garguilo and later Dominic DeSimone and Bob Gurecki were associated with the venue. The bar closed in 2006 and reopened in March 2007 after a new group of operators acquired it. The modern Stonewall Inn is a bar and event venue that hosts performances and LGBTQ community activities. Its historical importance led to multiple preservation designations. It became a New York City landmark and the first LGBTQ cultural site designated a National Historic Landmark. In 2016, the surrounding historic site was incorporated into Stonewall National Monument, the first U.S. national monument created specifically to commemorate the LGBTQ rights movement. The adjoining 51 Christopher Street building later became associated with visitor services for the monument. Although the premises and business have changed considerably since 1969, the Stonewall Inn remains a working venue as well as an international symbol of LGBTQ resistance, community, and civil-rights history.

• 2016

  Stonewall National Monument is designated

  [3]Stonewall National Monumenten.wikipedia.org

  The site became part of the first U.S. national monument devoted to LGBTQ rights and history.

• 2007

  The modern bar reopens

  [1]Stonewall Innen.wikipedia.org

  The Stonewall Inn reopened in March after new operators acquired the business.

• 1990

  A successor bar opens

  [1]Stonewall Innen.wikipedia.org

  Jimmy Pisano opened a new bar at 53 Christopher Street, initially using the name New Jimmy's.

• 1969

  Stonewall uprising

  [2]Stonewall uprisingen.wikipedia.org

  A police raid beginning June 28 prompted several nights of resistance and became a landmark event in LGBTQ rights history.

• 1967

  Stonewall opens as a gay bar

  [1]Stonewall Innen.wikipedia.org

  The bar opened on March 18 with dancing, a jukebox, tables, booths, and a private-club operating model.

• 1966

  The premises are converted into a gay bar

  [1]Stonewall Innen.wikipedia.org

  Investors associated with the Genovese crime family acquired the former restaurant and prepared it for LGBTQ nightlife.

• 1934

  The venue moves to Christopher Street

  [1]Stonewall Innen.wikipedia.org

  After Prohibition ended, Bonavia relocated the business to the buildings at 51–53 Christopher Street.

• 1930

  Bonnie's Stone Wall opens

  [1]Stonewall Innen.wikipedia.org

  Vincent Bonavia opened a Prohibition-era speakeasy called Bonnie's Stone Wall on Seventh Avenue South.

Historic LGBTQ nightlife venue, community gathering place, performance space, and living cultural landmark.

• Hospitality · 1967

  Bar service

  The Stonewall Inn's core offering is beverage service in a social LGBTQ venue. Historically, the 1967 bar used private-club admission and drink tickets because conventional liquor licensing was difficult for LGBTQ establishments under New York rules. The contemporary venue operates as a bar and gathering place, although specific menus and prices may change.

• Entertainment · 1967

  Dance and nightlife

  Dancing was central to the original venue's appeal. Stonewall was unusual because it offered a place where same-sex couples could dance together, while also providing a relatively accessible setting for young people, drag performers, and other LGBTQ patrons.

• Live entertainment · 2007

  Performances and events

  The present-day bar hosts performances and community events connected with LGBTQ nightlife and culture. These activities extend the venue beyond conventional drinks service and reinforce its role as a working cultural institution.

• 1967

  Mafia ownership and unsafe operating conditions

  The original gay bar was operated by investors associated with the Genovese crime family. Historical accounts also describe police payoffs, inadequate sanitation, alleged blackmail, drug transactions, and serious fire-safety shortcomings. These conditions were part of the broader coercive environment surrounding LGBTQ nightlife in the period.

  Source

Read more

• 2016Stonewall National Monument commemoration

  United States

  The federal designation of Stonewall National Monument elevated the inn and surrounding streets from a locally important bar site to a nationally protected LGBTQ historical landscape.

  Outcome. The site gained formal national-monument status and increased recognition as a destination for LGBTQ history and heritage tourism.

  Source

• 2016

  National-monument recognitionOther

  Background

  The Stonewall uprising had become a foundational reference point in LGBTQ civil-rights history.

  Action taken

  The United States designated Stonewall National Monument, encompassing the inn and nearby historically significant spaces.

  Aftermath

  The site received federal recognition and became part of a protected national LGBTQ heritage landscape.

  Source

• 2007

  Reopening as a historic LGBTQ venueStrategy

  Background

  The bar had closed in 2006 after operating under several successive managers and operators.

  Action taken

  A group including Bill Morgan, Tony DeCicco, Kurt Kelly, and Stacy Lentz acquired the business and reopened it in March.

  Aftermath

  The venue resumed operation as a bar and performance space while increasingly serving visitors interested in the Stonewall uprising.

  Source

• 1990

  Launch of the successor venueProduct launch

  Background

  The original bar had closed and the premises had housed other businesses for years.

  Action taken

  Jimmy Pisano opened a new bar at 53 Christopher Street, initially naming it New Jimmy's and later using Stonewall.

  Aftermath

  The Stonewall name and its connection with LGBTQ history returned to active commercial use at the historic address.

  Source

• 1966

  Conversion from restaurant to private LGBTQ clubStrategy

  Background

  New York liquor regulations and police practices made it difficult for openly LGBTQ venues to obtain ordinary liquor licenses.

  Action taken

  The new operators converted the former restaurant into a private club, using admission charges, membership-style entry, and drink tickets.

  Aftermath

  The model enabled Stonewall to operate as a major LGBTQ nightlife venue, but it also left the business vulnerable to raids and contributed to poor operating conditions.

  Source

1. 1Stonewall Innen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Stonewall uprisingen.wikipedia.org
3. 3Stonewall National Monumenten.wikipedia.org
4. 4Official Stonewall Inn websitethestonewallinnnyc.com