that operated between the 70’s and 80’s.Ĭhez Elle (french for “her house”), opened around 1965 at the corner of Summerfield and Cookman. Management and patrons, found this much more discreet. There was no front entrance, so men walked down the alley and entered through the back door. The Loading Dock was a lounge and dance bar located on south side of Cookman Ave, between Main and Bond, in the middle of the block. Another bath house operated for 1 year in an old hotel on Kingsley. The Colony Baths were located at 500 Summerfield or the southwest corner of Summerfield and Grand. The Albion was a lesbian hotel with 4 bars, a restaurant, 65 rooms, and a pool. In 1981, it moved to The Albion Hotel on Kingsley. The Owl & The Pussy Cat opened as a lesbian bar in the building where Carmines use to be, next to the vacant lot on the southeast corner of Main and Cookman. After it re-opened, the doorman was responsible for circulating through the crowd to make sure men were not touching or kissing each other. The Blue Note was closed for 6 months in 1965-66 by the State of NJ Alchohol Beverage Control (ABC) for “catering to homosexuals”. The old police station use to be just down the street. Located on the east side of Bangs, between Bond and Monroe, it had a piano bar and a lounge. Originally a straight Jazz club, the owners soon made it a very successful gay bar. Lines outside and down the street were not at all unusual. The Blue Note was one of the most popular establishments in Asbury Park during the 60’s. In the 40’s and 50’s, here men were able to dress casually in the bars, and not wear the suit, tie and hat that they did in the bars in New York City and Philadelphia, This is that story. At that time, Summerfield ran all the way to Lake Ave, and did not stop at Cookman.ĭuring the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, if you were gay, Asbury Park was a place that you come to to “be yourself”, It was a place were people could feel relaxed and not 'intimidated’. Both located in the area of Summerfield and Lake. The Plantation was a straight bar that was ‘gay’, one night a week. Some of those soldiers were gay, and they frequented establishments along with locals and men from New York and Philly such places as Fox’s and The Plantation. For the sake of brevity, many people, stories and establishments are not included.ĭuring WWII, British soldiers were billeted at the Berkeley Carteret Hotel on Sunset Ave.
The following article is a very brief and high level overview of some of that history. Yet the one constant throughout it all has been the presence of a gay community. A BRIEF CHRONOLOGY OF LGBT HISTORY IN ASBURY PARKĪsbury Park, the city by the sea, has had a long and exciting history.