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User:Satyridium/sandbox/List of leather bars and clubs

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This is a list of notable leather bars, sex clubs and bathhouses, both active and defunct. These venues played a key role in the development of the gay leather subculture, providing a gathering space for the local community, for socializing and cruising, and a point of entry into the scene for newcomers, as well as turning leather into a consumable aesthetic and identity; historically often enforced by dress codes and access restrictions for women.[1]

Dresscode at the Mineshaft

Leather bars (at the time also called leather/levi or L/L, western, and macho) are considered the first distinct subgenre of gay bars, and with their characteristic visuals are often depicted as gay bars' most iconic form. Designated leather bars started appearing between the 1950s and 1960s in major cities of the U.S. and Europe, exploding in popularity and dissemination in the 1970s.[1] Usually, leather bars were found in industrial and working-class city neighborhoods, like South of Market in San Francisco, the Manhattan Meatpacking District and the Munich Glockenbachviertel. The large number of leather related businesses in these areas led to the emergence of local leather districts, with the best known being the "Miracle Mile" on Folsom Street in San Francisco.[2]

In the 1980s, the forced closing of sex clubs and bathhouses and increased regulation of leather bars sped up the ongoing gentrification in big cities, that already threatened their existence, so that the leather districts shrank rapidly after the explosive expansion of the 1970s. Within a few years, many institutions that had played a central role within the community were shut down.[2] The spread of the internet in the 1990s and 2000s led to another wave of closures, as many activities such as cruising shifted to specialized forums, services and apps in the digital world.

Name Image Street Adress City Country Year opened Year closed Significance Ref.
AA Meat Market 2933 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60657 Chicago  United States c. 1980s 1994 Included a back bar called The Grease Pit. [3]
Albuquerque Eagle Albuquerque  United States 2018 – [4]
Ambush Harrison Street San Francisco  United States 1973 – [5]
Arena San Francisco  United States – – [5]
Argos Warmoesstraat Amsterdam  Netherlands 1957 2015 [6][7]
The Anvil 500 West 14th Street, New York City New York City  United States 1974 1985 Gay BDSM after-hours sex club [8]
Atlanta Eagle Atlanta  United States 1985-87, 2022 2020 Subjected to the Atlanta Eagle police raid in 2009, named a historic landmark by the City of Atlanta as the first recognized and protected LGBTQ landmark in the Deep South. [9][10][11]
Austin Eagle Austin  United States 2023 – [12][13]
The Backstreet East End, London  United Kingdom 1985 2022 London's longest running, and last remaining leather bar. [14]
Baltimore Eagle Baltimore  United States 1991 – [15]
Barracks San Francisco  United States – – Bathhouse [5]
Big Dollar New York City  United States c. 1959 c. 1964 Early dedicated leather bar in New York City [16]
Black and Blue San Francisco  United States – – [5]
Black Eagle Montreal  Canada – – [17]
Black Eagle Toronto  Canada 1994 – [18]
Bolt San Francisco  United States – – [5]
Bootcamp Bryant Street San Francisco  United States 1971 – [5]
Boots Los Angeles  United States 1977 – Included a bootblack stand. [19]
Boots/ Boots Warehouse 592 Sherbourne St. Toronto  Canada 1981 2000 [20]
The Boots Antwerp  Belgium – – [21]
Brig San Francisco  United States – – [5]
Catacombs San Francisco  United States 1975 1984 Gay underground sex club, mostly known for its fisting community. [22]
Cave San Francisco  United States – – [5]
Chains Köln Stephanstraße 4 Cologne  Germany 1990 – [23]
Chaps San Francisco  United States – – [5]
Chicago Eagle Chicago  United States c. 1990s 2007 Owned by Chuck Renslow. The entrance to the bar was through a semitrailer in the alley. The lower level of the bar was called the Grease Pit and had a dress code of an article of leather or a uniform for admittance [24][25]
Cockring
Warmoesstraat Amsterdam  Netherlands – –
Coleherne Arms 1866
Earl's Court, London  United Kingdom 1866 2008 Internationally known leather club in the 1970s and 1980s, nicknamed 'The Cloneherne'. [26]
Cook Munich Augsburgerstrasse 21 Munich  Germany – – Western Levi Leather [27]
Cow Palace Saloon San Francisco  United States – – [5]
Cuff Complex
Seattle  United States 1993
Dallas Eagle Dallas  United States 2000 - (closed 2021; reopened 2023) [28][29]
DC Eagle Washington, D.C.  United States 1971 2020 [30]
Denver Eagle Grey stucco exterior with a red door. Black eagle shaped sign reads "Denver Eagle" Denver  United States 2022 - [31]
Depot Schirmerstr. 61 Düsseldorf  Germany Gay Cruising & Fetish Club [32]
The Detroit Eagle Detroit  United States 1973 – [33]
The Eagle 510 N.E. 13th St. Fort Lauderdale  United States [34]
The Eagle Pittsburgh  United States 1994 2012 [35]
The Eagle Manchester  United Kingdom 2008 – [36]
Eagle Amsterdam [nl] Amsterdam  Netherlands 1979 – [37]
Eagle Houston Houston  United States 2014 – [38]
Eagle in Exile 893 N. Fourth St. Columbus  United States [39]
Eagle LA Los Angeles  United States 2006 – [40]
Eagle London London  United Kingdom 2004 – [41]
EAGLE MPLS Minneapolis  United States 1998 – [42]
Eagle Munich Buttermelcherstraße 2a Munich  Germany [43]
Eagle NYC New York City  United States 1970 – [44]
Eagle Portland Portland, Oregon  United States – – [45]
Eagle Sao Paulo São Paulo  Brazil - - [46]
Eagle Seoul Seoul  South Korea - - [47]
Eagle's Nest (later: the Eagle) New York City  United States 1970 Owned by leatherman Bob Milne, became the model for numerous "Eagle" bars. [16]
Eagle Stuttgart Stuttgart  Germany 1989 – [48]
Eagle Tokyo Tokyo  Japan 2016 – [49]
Eagle Vienna Vienna  Austria – – [50]
Eagle Wilton Manors Wilton Manors  United States – – [51]
Fe-Be's Folsom Street, South of Market, San Francisco  United States 1966 1986 Most influencal leather bar in San Francisco in the second half of the 60s, part of the "Miracle Mile" on Folsom Street, also housed the shop A Taste of Leather.
The Gauntlet Los Angeles  United States
The Gauntlet 2 Los Angeles  United States
Gold Coast Chicago  United States 1960 1988 First designated leather bar in Chicago, owned by leatherman Chuck Renslow, murals by Dom Orejudos (Etienne). Sponsor of the "Mr. Gold Coast" pageant (1972-78), which in 1979 developed into International Mr. Leather. [52]
Headquarters San Francisco  United States [5]
In Between San Francisco  United States between Febe's and the Ramrod [5]
Le Stud
Montreal  Canada 1996
Lodge New York City  United States c. 1954 c. 1964 First leather bar in New York City that imposed a dress code. [16]
Loreley Hamburg  Germany 1969 Probably the first leather bar in Germany. [53]
Man's Country Chicago  United States
Milwaukee Eagle Milwaukee  United States 1997 2001 [54]
Mineshaft Manhattan, New York City  United States 1976 1985 Members-only BDSM leather bar and sex club for gay men. Predecessor leather bars in the same building since 1968. [55][56]
New Action Kleiststr. 35 Berlin  Germany 1991 [57]
No Name San Francisco  United States [5]
Ochsengarten
Munich  Germany 1969 First leather bar in Bavaria and one of the first leather bars in Germany. [58][53]
Phoenix San Francisco  US [5]
The Phoenix/Eagle New Orleans  United States 1983 – [59]
Powerhouse San Francisco  US [5]
Providence Eagle Providence  United States - - [60][61]
Ramrod Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City  United States 1973 1980 The bar was shuttered and never reopened after an act of anti-gay gun violence in 1980. [62]
Ramrod Folsom Street, South of Market, San Francisco  United States 1968 ? Part of the "Miracle Mile" on Folsom Street [16]
Red Star Saloon San Francisco  United States [5]
San Diego Eagle San Diego  United States [63]
San Francisco Eagle San Francisco  United States 1981 – [64]
San Francisco Eagle (also SF Eagle; formerly Eagle Tavern)
South of Market, San Francisco  United States 1981 San Francisco Designated Landmark designated in 2021. [65]
Seattle Eagle (formerly J&L Saloon) Seattle  United States c. 1982 First leather bar in Seattle. [66]
Seattle Eagle Seattle  United States 1980 – [67]
Shaw's New York City  United States c. 1953 c. 1964 First "leather friendly bar" in New York City [16]
Spike Holzstraße 14 Munich  Germany Gay Bar And Smokers Club [68]
Stables San Francisco  United States [5]
Stiefelknecht Wimmergasse 20 Vienna  Austria [69]
The Stud
San Francisco  United States 1966 Originally part of the "Miracle Mile" on Folsom Street, owned by George Matson and Alexis Muir (Muir was a transgender woman then known as Richard Conroy). [70]
Stud Los Angeles  United States – – drummer 3 p 44
The Stud Thalkirchener Straße 2 Munich  Germany – – Leather Levis Uniform Club [71]
Tom's Bar
Berlin  Germany 1982 2024
Tom's Leather Bar Mexico City  Mexico 1995 – [72]
Toms Saloon Hamburg  Germany 1974 – Murals by Tom of Finland [73]
Tool Box South of Market, San Francisco  United States 1962 1971 First leather bar in South of Market, murals by Chuck Arnett. Featured in "Homosexuality in America", an article published by Life magazine 1964. [74]
Trench San Francisco  United States – – [5]
Touché 2825 North Lincoln Chicago  United States – – [75]
Why Not San Francisco  United States 1961 1961 First leather bar in San Francisco, managed by leatherman Tony Tavarossi, closed after a vice squad arrest. [16]
Wildsau Zähringerstraße 11 Zürich   Switzerland – – [76]

References

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  3. ^ "AA Meat Market". Leather Archives & Museum.
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  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Gayle Rubin, excerpted from "Requiem for the Valley of the Leather Kings," originally published in Southern Oracle, 1989
  6. ^ "DPG Media Privacy Gate". myprivacy.dpgmedia.nl. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  7. ^ "The History of the Amsterdam Argos (1957-2015) – LEATHERHISTORY.EU". web.archive.org. 2016-07-08. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
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