Charlies gay bar

The Empire crew is decked out and ready to dig Psychedelic Wednesdays. Photo courtesy of Michelle Fabry. It was built inas part of the original Toronto Fire Hall No. After the charlie closed on Yonge, gay building was occupied by retail businesses until the St. Charles Tavern took root in By the early s, the St.

Charles was known to be a gay bar. It, along with the nearby Parkside Tavern, became a significant gathering spot that would help hasten the development of queer social life anchored around Yonge during the s. The St. A club called Y-Not also operated upstairs in the mid s.

Byfollowing years of neglect, the St. Charles was a shadow of its former self and closed. A year later, the upper level would re-open as Empire Dancebar, a versatile venue dreamed up by friends Dave Craig and Michael Marier. Together, they produced events including The House, a weekly underground jam held at the Party Centre at Church and Shuter.

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The scene at Stages. Photo bar Terry Robson, courtesy of Arnie Kliger. Inthe Bolter family purchased the hotel and would transform the downstairs of Yonge into The Parkside Tavern. The Bolters also owned The St. Charles Tavernat Yonge. By the mids, both taverns were known to be gay bars. At that point in history, gay nightlife in Toronto was still very much underground.

It was common for the heterosexual owners of gay bars to be contemptuous of their clientele. This seems to have been the situation at The Parkside, a dingy beer hall largely frequented by a daytime crowd. Arrests were made, and the practice continued throughout the s, even as gay activists organized leafleting campaigns and called for boycotts of the bar.

These conflicts were characteristic of the charlie. During the mid-to-lates, Yonge Street was the main artery of Toronto gay social life it would shift to Church in the mids. Gay stretch of Isabella closest to Yonge called out to many, especially after dark.