Dates to Remember in Gay
Bathhouse History
| February 21, 1903.....In New York City, police conduct the first recorded raid on a gay bathhouse, the Ariston on West 55th Street. There were 78 men caught in the raid, but 26 were arrested. Twelve men were brought to trial on sodomy charges, and 7 men received sentences ranging from 4 to 20 years in prison. |
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October 4, 1973.....On this date one of the most acclaimed American divas of all time, Eleanor Steber, star of the opera world, performed her legendary "Black Tie, Black Towel Concert" at the Continental Baths in New York City. Fortunately, RCA Victor recorded the event and released the gala affair on LP shortly thereafter. Here is what Rex Reed from the New York Daily News said about the concert: "Miss Steber appears from the steam room in a chiffon gown, loaded with diamonds and a black towel draped around her waist. Mrs. Leonard Bernstein, Suzy, Patrice Munsel, a lot of Metropolitan Opera stars and half of New York society love it. Miss Steber is in good voice, singing everything from Tosca to Strauss waltzes while boys yell, "Brava!" |
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Shortly after Eleanor Steber's concert at the baths, the then Mayor of New York City, the Honorable John Lindsay, sent a congratulatory letter to Continental Baths owner, Steve Ostrow, saying: "I wish to extend my congratulations to the Continental Baths and Health Club on the occasion of your black tie, black towel concert. Your sponsorship of the appearance of an opera singer of the stature of Eleanor Steber is a wonderful opportunity for the community to enjoy her great talent outside the Metropolitan's halls. I am sure this festive event will herald a response worthy of your fine preparation. I wish you continued success in extending the benefit of great music to the people of our city."
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May 14, 1976.....In Canada, Montreal police launch a campaign of aggressive raids on lesbian and gay bars and bathhouses. |
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December 11, 1977.....The Castro Steam Baths---the third San Francisco gay bathhouse in less than a year to be victimized by arson---goes up in flames. One man is killed. |
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February 6, 1981.....In Canada, more than 3,000 men and women brave the extreme winter cold to protest the previous evening's brutal raid on four Toronto bathhouses, where 20 men were arrested as "keepers of a bawdy house" and 286 men as "found-ins." |
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July 11, 1981.....The largest San Francisco fire since the 1906 earthquake reportedly started in the Barracks, a gay bathhouse, with local news coverage blaming the blaze on the use of nitrate inhalers, or "poppers." |
| October 11, 1981.....San Francisco's Bulldog Baths---which billed itself as the largest gay bathhouse in the United States---celebrates its third anniversary with a "Biggest Cock in San Francisco" contest. |
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July 15, 1983.....The Hothouse---San Francisco's legendary four-story, ten-thousand-square-foot baths, devoted to the most bizarre forms of sexual expression, including bondage, water sports, fisting and scat---closes its doors in the wake of mounting concerns over the spread of AIDS. Meanwhile, the Club Bath chain reports that business at its New York and San Francisco facilities is down by more than 50 percent. |
| May 5, 1987.....San Francisco's last gay bathhouse, the 21st Street Baths, closes its doors for good. It's now a vacant lot, having been razed in 1996. |
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November 13, 1994.....From the Reuters News Service: At a gay sauna in Ireland, appropriately called "Incognito", two Roman Catholic priests administer last rites to a third clergyman who suffers a fatal heart attack there. The management later admits that the sauna's membership includes more than 20 priests! |
