Stonewall Inn at 53 Christopher Street in Greenwich Village became a turning point in the modern struggle for LGBTQ rights in the United States after a police raid there sparked the Stonewall riots from June 28 to July 3, 1969. Housed in two former 1840s horse stables later combined and remodeled, it had evolved from a Prohibition-era speakeasy into a gay bar that operated as a private club under restrictive New York liquor rules. More important than its architecture was its role as New York City’s only gay bar permitting open dancing and welcoming a notably mixed crowd, making it a lasting symbol of LGBTQ life, protest, and public recognition.

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

New York, New York · USA