Stonewall Inn goes retro
When asked why he would want to purchase The Stonewall Inn at 53 Christopher St, current co-owner Kurt Kelly scoffs, "It's the most famous gay bar in the world!"
That may be true. Thanks to a police raid that went awry on the night of June 27, 1969, the gay men, lesbians, and drag queens at the bar fought back against the police trying to arrest them for being in a gay establishment.
The rioting continued for three nights, and while this was not the first protest for gay civil rights, it gained the most attention and the Stonewall Riots will go down in history as the symbolic start of the organized movement.
The revolution that began in Greenwich Village 40 years ago is tied to a very specific place, in this case a gay bar then owned by the Mafia that attracted a crowd of drag queens, hustlers and homeless gay youth.
In 2007, when Kelly and company acquired the bar, it had a totally different reputation, but it certainly wasn't a good one. "It wasn't hip to go there. It had a bad reputation, for what reason, I didn't know," Kelly says, but that didn't stop him from wanting to buy it with help from some of the people that he worked with at neighboring gay piano bar The Duplex.
"I wanted to put some history back into it and have the church of all churches for the gay community," says Kelly.
While redoing the establishment, the intent was never to make it look like its 1969 incarnation.
"We wanted to give a feel of what the gay bars would be like in the '60s if gay bars were allowed to open," Kelly says.
However, like the original establishment, Kelly hopes that his bar will draw a diverse population. "I wanted it to be what it is, for drag queens, gay men, lesbians, anyone," he says.
And the programming at the current Stonewall definitely reflects Kelly's vision. It features everything from monthly events for the New York Boys of Leather to "bio drag" night Victoria, where women (and men) dress up as drag queens and popular Wednesday night "Stonewall Sensation" singing competition.
While the Stonewall Inn is still one of the must-visit destinations for tourists from all over the world, Kelly has remade it into a living, breathing landmark for everyone to enjoy.