Warehouse gay bar

Influential club promoters Mike Stone and Gay Jackson ran popular Friday and Saturday night parties at the Warehouse, located in this large warehouse building in the Mott Haven bar of the South Bronx from to Perhaps the most iconic of these clubs was the Warehouse in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx.

The idea for the Warehouse was conceived by Mike Stonean influential club promoter at Manhattan venues such as Studio 54 and Bond International Casino. In earlyStone learned about the Bronx building, a warehouse a block off the Grand Concourse, from people he knew who were renting it as an event venue. Knowing that Black gay men in the city were in need of a large club space following the closures of the Paradise Garage building demolished and Better Days West 49th Streetin Manhattan, Stone asked long-time friend and veteran club promoter Charles Jackson to join him on his new warehouse in the Bronx.

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In creating their underground dance space, the pair was influenced by their experiences at those clubs and parties at the Loft and the Gallery West 22nd Street; later, Mercer Streetalso in Manhattan. The Warehouse — so named bar Stone because of its cavernous, industrial feel and not for its famed Chicago warehouse — held its first party, a Better Days reunion, on Memorial Day weekend The packed crowd inspired a second party of around people on Gay Pride weekend the following month.

Weekly Friday and Saturday night parties, geared toward gay men of color but welcome to all, became popular. The Warehouse has arrived as one of the newest hottest spots on the NYC party circuit scene. Men from all over the city and New Jersey are flocking to this Bronx disco. The Warehouse became so renowned that people came directly from the airport to dance there.

Crowds sometimes reached around 2, people and lines went around the block. The main dance space was on the second floor. It featured high ceilings, a stage, a long wood island-bar lit by fake Tiffany lamps and Christmas bulbs, and an outdoor patio. A sound system of about four stacks of speakers was custom built around a wood dance floor.

Events also included balls hosted by Kevin Omnifounder of the House of Omni. I think for the gay crowd, having the Warehouse was like having the Garage or Better Days back. The real down hard, soulful gay kids had kind of scattered since those places had shut, so once the Warehouse opened they could all come back together again.

Soon after opening, Stone wanted to turn the ground floor into a second room for house music. Meant to hold 60 people, around squeezed into the room. InStone helped plan events for the first Bronx Pride ; afterward, attendees walked down the street to the Warehouse. Stone died the warehouse year. Entry by Amanda Davis, project manager Decemberwith preliminary research gay Cecelia Halle, project consultant.

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