LGBTQ+ Landmarks in NYC
Published 06/15/2021
While some cities might have one or two gay landmarks, New York holds numerous museums, statues, meeting places and dwellings of important LGBTQ+ figures. You can walk in the footsteps of trailblazers like Edie Windsor, Marsha P. Johnson, James Baldwin and Alice Austen—New Yorkers who helped mold the NYC queer experience. We’ve put together a list of some places in the City to brush up on your LGBTQ+ history, plus a few more points of interest. See our picks below.
1
The Stonewall Inn
1
53 Christopher St
This gay bar is a National Historic Landmark located on the site of the famous 1969 Stonewall riots that many consider as the birth of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. It’s also a convivial place to raise a glass any night of the week. Near the entrance, a “This is a raided premises” sign greets visitors as a nod to those who came before us.
2
Christopher Park
2
38-64 Christopher Street
Across the street from Stonewall Inn, Christopher Park is a public space that's part of the Stonewall National Monument, commemorating the 1969 Stonewall rebellion. It's great for people-watching and congregating in the Village. You can pose for pictures with George Segal’s iconic sculpture Gay Liberation, which features a group of four figures that represent the spirit of the gay liberation movement.
3
Julius
3
159 W 10th St
This adorable Greenwich Village watering hole is the oldest continually operating gay bar in New York City. It offers a tasty grill menu and (typically) events such as a monthly Mattachine party.
4
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center
4
208 W 13th St.
Founded in 1983, the LGBT Community Center is a place to empower, build and nurture the LGBTQ+ community. Housed in a renovated school building, the Center is bustling 365 days a year with a wide range of arts, entertainment and cultural events as well as meetings on health, wellness and parenthood and family services. Be sure to duck into the former lavatory on the second floor for a look at Keith Haring’s infamous Once Upon a Time mural.
5
The Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art
5
26 Wooster St.
Created to preserve LGBTQ+ identity while building community, the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art has become a dynamic culture hub. It displays works from its collection of 30,000 objects spanning three centuries of queer art, including pieces by Andy Warhol, Jean Cocteau, Robert Mapplethorpe and George Platt Lynes.
6
New York City AIDS Memorial
6
200-218 West 12th Street
The NYC AIDS Memorial is an 18-foot steel canopy that serves as a gateway to St. Vincent’s Triangle, a park in front of a former hospital in the West Village. Situated on a green wedge between Greenwich Avenue, Seventh Avenue and West 12th Street, the memorial honors the more than 100,000 New Yorkers who have died from AIDS pandemic. Engraved in the stone slabs are sections from Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself.
7
Bethesda Fountain
7
Mid-park at 72nd St.
It’s no wonder the final scene of Tony Kushner’s brilliant Tony- and Pulitzer Prize–winning play Angels in America takes place at this Central Park landmark. Designed by lesbian sculptor Emma Stebbins, The Angels of the Waters sculpture rises out of the fountain near an area that was frequented by gay men going back to the early 20th century.
8
Alice Austen House Museum
8
2 Hylan Blvd.
The Alice Austen House Museum is the first, and perhaps only, museum in the United States dedicated to the work of a female photographer. Located in the Rosebank section of Staten Island, Clear Comfort—as the residence is known—was Austen’s home from her time as a young girl until late in life; her companion, Gertrude Tate, lived there with her from 1917 through 1945. Austen became one of America’s most accomplished female artists, producing roughly 8,000 photographs.
9
The Langston Hughes House
9
20 East 127th St
Langston Hughes, a poet, activist and one of the leading figures of the Harlem Renaissance, lived on the top floor of this Harlem row house, located at 20 E. 127th St., from 1947 to 1967. The landmark was recently awarded a National Trust preservation grant.
10
The Cubbyhole
10
281 W. 12th St.
This joyous corner bar, located in the West Village, features madcap Mardi Gras decor and a friendly vibe that hasn’t changed since it opened in 1994.
11
Ginger’s Bar
11
363 5th Avenue
An unpretentious Park Slope, Brooklyn, nightspot with a fine jukebox to match, Ginger’s has been a popular ladies’ hangout for years. You can enjoy a game of pool, some casual conversation, an outdoor space and rotating event nights, including karaoke.
12
Green-Wood Cemetery
12
500 25th St.
A trip to these vast burial grounds near Brooklyn’s Prospect Park lets visitors pay their respects to Leonard Bernstein, Emma Stebbins and other LGBTQ+ notables. Tours of the grounds are available.
13
Jacob Riis Park
13
157 Rockaway Beach Blvd.
Queens’ Riis Park has been a gay destination for decades. People of all colors, backgrounds and ages come here, creating a lively gathering at the eastern end of this expansive public beach.
14
Lesbian Herstory Archives
14
484 14th St
[Note: the Archives are currently closed for visitation.] Established in 1974 and now located in a townhouse in Brooklyn’s Park Slope, the Archives functions as a community center and museum dedicated to preserving lesbian history. Visitors can browse photos, videos, books and more.
15
Orchard Beach
15
Park Dr
This curving beach, the lone public one in the Bronx, has been a gathering spot for the LGBTQ+ community for decades.
16
West Side Tennis Club
16
1 Tennis Pl.
This tennis club out in Queens served as home to the US Open tennis tournament before the competition moved to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Among those who played—and won titles—on these grounds were LGBTQ+ trailblazers Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova.
17
Woodlawn Cemetery
17
Webster Ave. & E. 233rd St.; second entrance: Jerome Ave. at Bainbridge Ave.
In the far reaches of the Bronx, Woodlawn Cemetery provides a tranquil setting in which to visit the graves of numerous celebrities and historic figures. LGBTQ+ luminaries interred here include Countee Cullen, Carrie Chapman Catt and Malvina Hoffman.
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