Gay bar bronx

History

LGBTQ+ venues in the Bronx, catering to people of color, emerged in the early years after Stonewall. Notable establishments, including Apartment (508 Willis Avenue) and Faces (2003 Jerome Avenue), appeared in the 1973 Gayellow Pages. For six years, starting in 1994, Gay Men of the Bronx (GMoB) co-founder, Charles Rice-González, penned bi-monthly "Club Scene" reports for the GMoB newsletter, aiming to combat the isolation faced by gay men in the borough. A standout among these establishments was the Warehouse, situated in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx.

The Warehouse's conception stemmed from Mike Stone, a prominent club promoter at Manhattan hotspots like Studio 54 and Bond International Casino. Around early 1997, Stone discovered, through acquaintances, a Bronx warehouse a block from the Grand Concourse, which was being leased as a party venue. Realizing a void in large club spaces for Black gay men in the city, following the closures of the Paradise Garage (razed) and Better Days (316 West 49th Street) in Manhattan, Stone recruited his long-time comrade and experienced club promoter, Charles Jackson, to team up with him in this new Bronx endeavor. This dynamic duo was inspired by their experiences at Manhattan venues and parties at the Loft and the Gallery (initially 132 West 22nd Street, later 172 Mercer Street).

The Warehouse, its moniker chosen by Stone due to its spacious, industrial aesthetics (not related to its celebrated Chicago counterpart), hosted its inaugural party, a Better Days reunion, over Memorial Day weekend in 1997. The subsequent, packed Gay Pride weekend party, which attracted approximately 800 attendees, cemented the club's promising trajectory. Frequent Friday and Saturday night events, while primarily targeting gay men of color, welcomed all attendees.

Promotional efforts, including distributing Warehouse flyers across the country during Pride weekends, by Jackson's team, rapidly elevated the club's renown. Consequently, patrons frequently arrived directly from airports to dance at the Warehouse. The sizable crowds, sometimes numbering 2,000 individuals, and the long queues outside, became defining characteristics. The club's location in a non-residential industrial area mitigated concerns about disrupting neighborhood peace; parties starting at 11 p.m. regularly carried on into the late morning hours the following day, extending sometimes until 11 a.m. (other clubs had to cease operations by 4 a.m.).

The second floor housed the main dance area, featuring lofty ceilings, a stage, a long wooden bar adorned with faux Tiffany lamps and Christmas bulbs, and an outdoor patio. A custom-built sound system, comprising around four speaker stacks, complemented the wooden dance floor. On one side of the lounge area, Junior's Hotspot, operated by Lester Richards, served chicken wings and collard greens. Resident DJ Andre Collins, a Bronx native from the Gun Hill Houses, who also commanded a presence in the Manhattan nightlife scene, drew comparisons between the Warehouse's raw ambiance and that of the Paradise Garage. The club's musical theme was epitomized by the Noize Boyz track, "The Chant of Voodoo" (1997), as highlighted by Collins.

Following the initial opening, Mike Stone desired to transform the ground floor into a second dance space exclusively for house music. However, Charles Jackson, instead, prioritized appealing to a younger demographic by adapting the area for hip-hop and R&B music, featuring resident DJs MK and Unknown. This space, initially designed for 60 people, frequently accommodated around 300, attracting attendees, including a "homo thugz" contingent; Black men stylishly clad in urban wear and embodying a B-boy aesthetic. Their sexual identities were kept private (down low). As Charles Jackson explained to the Village Voice in 2000, in a city rife with homophobia, an urban attire served as a deterrent to discrimination: 'Thugness and genuineness are the ultimate expressions of manliness.'

In 1998, Stone orchestrated events for the inaugural Bronx Pride; subsequently, attendees continued on to the Warehouse. Upon Stone's illness, Jackson's friend, Michael Haynes of the House of Ebony, assisted with running the club. Despite its popularity, the Warehouse ultimately closed its doors in 2006 after losing its lease. Stone passed away the following year. Michael Haynes later described the Warehouse as a venue that united generations of Black gay men while mixing a variety of music genres.

Submitted by Amanda Davis, project manager (December 2024), with preparatory research by Cecelia Halle, project consultant.

NOTE: Boldface names represent members of the LGBTQ+ community.