Christopher Street

Last updated
Christopher Street
Christopher Street shops between Bleecker and Hudson Streets.jpg
Shops on Christopher Street between Bleecker and Hudson Streets
Christopher Street
NamesakeCharles Christopher Amos
Location West Village, Lower Manhattan, New York City
Postal code10014
Coordinates 40°44′00″N74°00′18″W / 40.73333°N 74.00500°W / 40.73333; -74.00500
West end West Street
East end Sixth Avenue

Christopher Street is a street in the West Village neighborhood of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is the continuation of 9th Street west of Sixth Avenue.

Contents

It is most notable for the Stonewall Inn, which is located on Christopher Street near the corner of Seventh Avenue South. As a result of the Stonewall riots in 1969, the street became the center of the world's gay rights movement in the late 1970s. To this day, the inn and the street serve as an international symbol of gay pride.

Christopher Street is named after Charles Christopher Amos, the owner of the inherited estate which included the location of the street. Amos is also the namesake of nearby Charles Street, and of the former Amos Street, which is now West 10th Street. [1] [2]

History

Christopher Street PATH station Christopher St PATH entry jeh.jpg
Christopher Street PATH station

Christopher Street is, technically, the oldest street in the West Village, as it ran along the south boundary of Admiral Sir Peter Warren's estate, which abutted the old Greenwich Road (now Greenwich Avenue) to the east and extended north to the next landing on the North River, at present-day Gansevoort Street. The street was briefly called Skinner Road after Colonel William Skinner, Sir Peter's son-in-law. The street received its current name in 1799, when the Warren land was acquired by Warren's eventual heir, Charles Christopher Amos. Charles Street remains, but Amos Street is now 10th Street. [3] [4]

The road ran past the churchyard wall of the Church of St. Luke in the Fields (built 1820–22; rebuilt after a fire, 1981–85) still standing on its left, down to the ferry landing, commemorated in the block-long Weehawken Street [5] (laid out in 1829), the shortest street in the West Village. At the Hudson River, with its foundation in the river and extending north to 10th Street, Newgate Prison, the first New York State Prison, occupied the site from 1796 to 1829, when the institution was removed to Sing Sing and the City plotted and sold the land. [6]

West Street is on more recently filled land, but the procession of boats that had made the inaugural pass through the Erie Canal stopped at the ferry dock at the foot of Christopher Street, November 4, 1825, where it was met by a delegation from the city; together they proceeded to the Lower Bay, where the cask of water brought from the Great Lakes was ceremoniously emptied into the salt water. [7]

In 1961, Jane Jacobs, resident in the area and author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities published that same year, headed a group that successfully stopped Mayor Robert Wagner's plan to demolish twelve blocks along West Street north of Christopher Street, including the north side of Christopher Street to Hudson Street, and an additional two blocks south of it, slated for "urban renewal". [8]

Gay icon

The Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village, a designated U.S. National Historic Landmark and National Monument, as the site of the June 1969 Stonewall riots and the cradle of the modern gay rights movement Stonewall Inn 5 pride weekend 2016.jpg
The Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village, a designated U.S. National Historic Landmark and National Monument, as the site of the June 1969 Stonewall riots and the cradle of the modern gay rights movement

Christopher Street is the site of the Stonewall Inn, the bar whose patrons fought back violently in June 1969 against a police raid, sparking the Stonewall riots that are widely seen as the birth of the gay liberation movement. [9] The Christopher Street Liberation Day Committee formed to commemorate the first anniversary of that event, the beginning of the international tradition of a late-June event to celebrate gay pride. [12] The annual gay pride festivals in Berlin, Cologne, and other German cities are known as Christopher Street Days.

In part because of the riots at the Stonewall Inn, the LGBT community came to congregate around Christopher Street. [13] [14] By the early 1970s, other LGBT businesses had opened along the street, even as the bar itself had closed. [13] [15] A commentator for The Advocate wrote in 1972 that the riots had succeeded in associating Christopher Street's name with LGBT culture, [15] while a 1982 Washington Post article described the street, and particularly the bar's site, as the "birthplace of the gay rights movement in this country". [14] Large numbers of gay men would stroll its length at seemingly all hours. Gay bars and stores selling leather fetish clothing and artistic decorative items flourished at that time. This changed dramatically with the loss of many gay men during the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s.

Christopher Street magazine, a respected gay magazine, began publication in July 1976 and folded in December 1995. [16] Anaïs Nin once worked at Lawrence R. Maxwell Books, located at 45 Christopher Street. [17]

On June 23, 2015, the Stonewall Inn was the first landmark in New York City to be recognized by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission on the basis of its status in LGBT history, [18] and on June 24, 2016, the Stonewall National Monument was named the first U.S. National Monument dedicated to the LGBTQ-rights movement. [19] The visitor center opened on June 28, 2024, as the first official national visitors center dedicated to the LGBTQ+ experience to open anywhere in the world. Numerous politicians and celebrities participated in the inauguration ceremonies, [20] [21] and the New York City Subway's Christopher Street–Sheridan Square station was renamed the Christopher Street–Stonewall National Monument station on the same day. [20] [22]

Iconic locations

Near Sixth Avenue, Christopher Street intersects with a short, winding street, coincidentally named Gay Street.

Since 1992, Christopher Park, located at the intersection of Christopher, Grove, and West 4th Streets, has hosted a duplicate of the sculpture Gay Liberation Monument by George Segal to commemorate the gay rights traditions of the area. [23] The Oscar Wilde Bookshop, located on the corner of Christopher and Gay, was the oldest LGBT bookshop in the world until it closed in 2009. [24]

Other locations

Lucille Lortel Theatre Lucille Lortel Theatre.jpg
Lucille Lortel Theatre
Former United States Appraiser Store, later a Federal Office Building, now The Archive, an apartment building on the National Register of Historic Places and a New York City landmark Chris Wash book warehouse jeh.jpg
Former United States Appraiser Store, later a Federal Office Building, now The Archive, an apartment building on the National Register of Historic Places and a New York City landmark

Notable current and past residents

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenwich Village</span> Neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City

Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village also contains several subsections, including the West Village west of Seventh Avenue and the Meatpacking District in the northwest corner of Greenwich Village.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stonewall riots</span> 1969 spontaneous uprising for gay liberation

The Stonewall riots, also known as the Stonewall uprising, Stonewall rebellion, or simply Stonewall, were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Although the demonstrations were not the first time American homosexuals fought back against government-sponsored persecution of sexual minorities, the Stonewall riots marked a new beginning for the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stonewall Inn</span> Gay tavern and monument in New York City

The Stonewall Inn is a gay bar and recreational tavern at 53 Christopher Street in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was the site of the 1969 Stonewall riots, which led to the gay liberation movement and the modern fight for LGBT rights in the United States. When the riots occurred, Stonewall was one of the relatively few gay bars in New York City. The original gay bar occupied two structures at 51–53 Christopher Street, which were built as horse stables in the 1840s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gay Street (Manhattan)</span> Street in Manhattan, New York

Gay Street is a short, angled street that marks off one block of Greenwich Village in the New York City borough of Manhattan. Although the street is part of the Stonewall National Monument, its name is likely derived from a family named Gay who owned land or lived there in colonial times. A newspaper of May 11, 1775, contains a classified ad where an "R. Gay", living in the Bowery, offers a gelding for sale.

This street, originally a stable alley, was probably named for an early landowner, not for the sexuality of any denizens, who coincidentally reside in Greenwich Village, a predominantly homosexual community. Nor is it likely, as is sometimes claimed, that its namesake was Sidney Howard Gay, editor of the National Anti-Slavery Standard; he would have been 19 when the street was christened in 1833. The mistaken association with an abolitionist is probably because the street's residents were mainly black, many of them servants of the wealthy white families on Washington Square. Later it became noted as an address for black musicians, giving the street a bohemian reputation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marsha P. Johnson</span> Black American gay liberation activist (1945–1992)

Marsha P. Johnson was an American gay liberation activist and self-identified drag queen. Known as an outspoken advocate for gay rights, Johnson was one of the prominent figures in the Stonewall uprising of 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heritage of Pride</span>

Heritage of Pride (HOP), doing business as NYC Pride, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that plans and produces the official New York City LGBTQIA+ Pride Week events each June. HOP began working on the events in 1984, taking on the work previously done by the Christopher Street Liberation Day Committee organizers of the first NYC Pride March in 1970. HOP also took over responsibility for the operations of NYC's Pride Festival and Pride Rally. It was that first march that brought national attention to 1969's Stonewall Riots. The late sixties saw numerous protests and riots across the United States on many social injustices and from general political unrest including the war in Vietnam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Village</span> Neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City

The West Village is a neighborhood in the western section of the larger Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. The West Village is bounded by the Hudson River to the west and 14th Street to the north. The eastern boundary is variously cited as Greenwich Avenue, Seventh Avenue, or Sixth Avenue, while the southern boundary is either Houston Street or Christopher Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Street–Stonewall station</span> New York City Subway station in Manhattan

The Christopher Street–Stonewall station, formerly known as Christopher Street–Sheridan Square, is a local station on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Christopher Street and Seventh Avenue South in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, it is served by the 1 train at all times and by the 2 train during late nights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NYC Pride March</span> Event celebrating the LGBTQ community

The NYC Pride March is an annual event celebrating the LGBTQ community in New York City. The largest pride parade and the largest pride event in the world, the NYC Pride March attracts tens of thousands of participants and millions of sidewalk spectators each June, and carries spiritual and historical significance for the worldwide LGBTQIA+ community and its advocates. Entertainer Madonna stated in 2024, "Aside from my birthday, New York Pride is the most important day of the year." The route through Lower Manhattan traverses south on Fifth Avenue, through Greenwich Village, passing the Stonewall National Monument, site of the June 1969 riots that launched the modern movement for LGBTQ+ rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT pride</span> Positive stance toward LGBT people

LGBT pride is the promotion of the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people as a social group. Pride, as opposed to shame and social stigma, is the predominant outlook that bolsters most LGBT rights movements. Pride has lent its name to LGBT-themed organizations, institutes, foundations, book titles, periodicals, a cable TV channel, and the Pride Library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julius (restaurant)</span> Restaurant in Manhattan, New York

Julius' is a tavern at 159 West 10th Street and Waverly Place in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It is often called the oldest continuously operating gay bar in New York City. Its management, however, was actively unwilling to operate as such, and harassed gay customers until 1966. The April 1966 "Sip-In" at Julius, located a block northeast of the Stonewall Inn, established the right of gay people to be served in licensed premises in New York. This action helped clear the way for gay premises with state liquor licenses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation</span> Organization in New York City

Village Preservation is a nonprofit organization that advocates for the architectural preservation and cultural preservation in several neighborhoods of Lower Manhattan in New York City. Founded in 1980, it has advocated for New York City designated landmark status for a variety of sites like the Stonewall Inn and Webster Hall. The organization and its Executive Director, Andrew Berman, have been described as influential in New York real estate, while some of its activities to prevent development and to support restrictive zoning have attracted criticism.

New York has a long history of LGBT community building, activism, and culture which extends to the early history of the city.

Gay Liberation Monument Monument in New York City, U.S.

The Gay Liberation Monument is part of the Stonewall National Monument, which commemorates the Stonewall uprising of 1969. Created in 1980, the Gay Liberation sculpture by American artist George Segal was the first piece of public art dedicated to gay rights and solidarity for LGBT individuals, while simultaneously commemorating the ongoing struggles of the community. The monument was dedicated on June 23, 1992, as part of the dedication of the Stonewall National Monument as a whole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT culture in New York City</span>

New York City has been described as the gay capital of the world and the central node of the LGBTQ+ sociopolitical ecosystem, and is home to one of the world's largest and most prominent LGBTQ+ populations. Brian Silverman, the author of Frommer's New York City from $90 a Day, wrote the city has "one of the world's largest, loudest, and most powerful LGBT communities", and "Gay and lesbian culture is as much a part of New York's basic identity as yellow cabs, high-rise buildings, and Broadway theatre". LGBT travel guide Queer in the World states, "The fabulosity of Gay New York is unrivaled on Earth, and queer culture seeps into every corner of its five boroughs". LGBT advocate and entertainer Madonna stated metaphorically, "Anyways, not only is New York City the best place in the world because of the queer people here. Let me tell you something, if you can make it here, then you must be queer."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stonewall National Monument</span> U.S. National Monument in Manhattan, New York

Stonewall National Monument is a 7.7-acre (3.1 ha) U.S. national monument in the West Village neighborhood of Greenwich Village in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The designated area includes the Stonewall Inn, the 0.19-acre (0.077 ha) Christopher Park, and nearby streets including Christopher Street, the site of the Stonewall riots of June 28, 1969, widely regarded as the start of the modern LGBT rights movement in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Street (Manhattan)</span> Street in Manhattan, New York

Charles Street is a street in the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It runs east to west from Greenwich Avenue to West Street. The street was named after Charles Christopher Amos, who owned the parcel the street passed through. Amos is also the namesake of Christopher Street, two blocks to the south, and the former Amos Street, which is now West 10th Street. Charles Lane is a one-block alley located between Charles and Perry Streets and Washington and West Streets. From 1866 to 1936, the section of Charles Street between Bleecker Street and West 4th Street was called Van Ness Place after a farm, owned by the Van Ness family, which had occupied the square bounded by Bleecker, West 4th, Charles and Perry Streets until 1865.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queer Liberation March</span> Annual protest march in New York City since 2019

The Queer Liberation March is an annual LGBT protest march in Manhattan, organized by the Reclaim Pride Coalition as an anti-corporate alternative to the NYC Pride March.

Stonewall 50 – WorldPride NYC 2019 was a series of LGBTQ events and celebrations in June 2019, marking the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots. It was also the first time WorldPride was held in the United States. Held primarily in the metropolitan New York City area, the theme for the celebrations and educational events was "Millions of moments of Pride." The celebration was the largest LGBTQ event in history, with an official estimate of five million attending Pride weekend in Manhattan alone, including an estimated four million in attendance at the parade. The twelve-hour parade included 150,000 pre-registered participants among 695 groups.

References

  1. ↑ Moscow, Henry (1978). The Street Book: An Encyclopedia of Manhattan's Street Names and Their Origins. New York: Hagstrom Company. ISBN   978-0-8232-1275-0., pp. 37, 39
  2. ↑ Feirstein, Sanna (2001). Naming New York: Manhattan Places & How They Got Their Names. New York: New York University Press. p. 85. ISBN   978-0-8147-2712-6.
  3. ↑ Block, Lawrence (November 20, 1988). "Greenwich Village: Glorying in its differentness; For 300 Years, A World Apart". The New York Times . Retrieved October 7, 2007.
  4. ↑ "A portion of the West Village was carved from a farm owned by a man named Charles Christopher Amos, and his three names were parceled out among three of the new streets." (Moscow, Henry (1978). The Street Book: An Encyclopedia of Manhattan's Street Names and Their Origins. New York: Hagstrom Company. ISBN   978-0-8232-1275-0.)
  5. ↑ Weehawken, New Jersey, lies on the opposite shore.
  6. ↑ "New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission: Weehawken Street Historic District, May 2, 2006" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 28, 2008. Retrieved August 20, 2008.
  7. ↑ Frank Bergen Kelley, Edward Hagaman Hall. Historical Guide to the City of New York (City History Club of New York), 1909:75.
  8. ↑ Landmarks Preservation Commission: Weehawken Street Historic District, May 2, 2006
  9. 1 2 Goicichea, Julia (August 16, 2017). "Why New York City Is a Major Destination for LGBT Travelers". The Culture Trip. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Workforce Diversity The Stonewall Inn, National Historic Landmark National Register Number: 99000562". National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  11. ↑ Rosenberg, Eli (June 24, 2016). "Stonewall Inn Named National Monument, a First for the Gay Rights Movement". The New York Times. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  12. ↑ Stryker, Susan. "Christopher Street Gay Liberation Day: 1970". PlanetOut. Archived from the original on 31 March 2008. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  13. 1 2 Johnston, Laurie (26 July 1971). "Christopher Street: From Farm to Gay Center". The New York Times. p. 27. ISSN   0362-4331. ProQuest   119296802.
  14. 1 2 Wadler, Joyce (1982-08-01). "No, Dorothy, You and Toto Certainly Aren't in Kansas Anymore". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  15. 1 2 Lounsberry, Milton (Jul 5, 1972). "Remember the Stonewall(?) A dark and shuttered shrine". The Advocate. No. 89. p. 2. ProQuest   2371013923.
  16. ↑ Weise, Donald (October 20, 2014). "Michael Denneny: On Working in Publishing During the 1970s, Starting Christopher Street Magazine, and the Future of Gay Literature". Lambda Literary .
  17. ↑ Recollections of Anaïs Nin , Ohio University Press, 1996, p. 6.
  18. ↑ "NYC grants landmark status to gay rights movement building". NorthJersey.com. Associated Press. June 23, 2015. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  19. ↑ Eli Rosenberg (June 24, 2016). "Stonewall Inn Named National Monument, a First for the Gay Rights Movement". The New York Times. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  20. 1 2 Bahr, Sarah (2024-06-28). "On Pride Weekend, the Stonewall Visitor Center Opens". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  21. ↑ Taitt, Phil (June 28, 2024). "NYC Pride: President Joe Biden to visit Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center in Greenwich Village". ABC7 New York. Retrieved June 29, 2024; Alfonseca, Kiara (June 28, 2024). "Stonewall Uprising veteran honors protest as historic LGBTQ center opens". ABC News. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  22. ↑ "NYC Pride: President Joe Biden visits Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center in Greenwich Village". ABC7 New York. June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  23. ↑ "Christopher Park: Gay Liberation". New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
  24. ↑ "Oscar Wilde Bookshop". New York . Retrieved August 31, 2013.
  25. ↑ Frommer's review of McNulty's Tea & Coffee Company, The New York Times. Accessed online 23 July 2008.
  26. ↑ Sawyer-Lauðcanno, Christopher (2004). E.E. Cummings: A Biography. Sourcebooks. p. 135. ISBN   9781570717758 . Retrieved October 7, 2007. On March 2 he moved out of the Brevoort Hotel, where he had been staying, and took up residence at 11 Christopher Street, in the West Village.
  27. ↑ Embury, Stuart P. (2006). "Chapter One: The Early Years". The Art and Life of Luigi Lucioni . Embury Publishing Company. pp. 1–3.
  28. ↑ "Dawn Powell, Novelist, Is Dead; Author of Witty, Satirical Books; Middle Class Was the Object of Her Stinging Fiction-13 Books Published", The New York Times , November 16, 1965. "Miss Powell, who had resided in Greenwich Village most of her life, maintained an apartment at 95 Christopher Street, where she did most of her writing in recent years."
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.