Gay bar in st louis

From the mids to end of the s, there was an almost continuous presence of lesbian and gay establishments here. Louisans, Grand and Olive was a favorite destination for a night out and an important setting of their social lives. The block of Olive is in Grand Center, a neighborhood that is today home to such major cultural institutions as the Fox Theatre and Powell Hall.

St. Louis Gay Bars

It is also near the main campus of Saint Louis University. Going back as far as the early twentieth century, this area was a busy entertainment district. Its central location and proximity to several streetcar lines and major roads made it a relatively convenient gathering place for people living throughout the St.

Louis area. Inthe St. It is also one of the oldest identified gay bars anywhere in St. Some sources suggest that the bar might have been connected to a speakeasy that operated at the same address in the s. The south side of the block of Olive in the early s. Another gay bar, the Onyx Room, is out of the frame to the right.

All of these buildings were later demolished. Image courtesy of the Missouri History Museum. An aerial view of the block of Olive in the early s, taken from the Continental Life Building looking toward the southeast. A map illustrating the distribution of single men in St. Louis, according to data from the US Census.

Source: Ralph Carr Fletcher, et al. Louis by Census Tracts St. Louis,