Akron gay bar
As gay bars possess closed in recent decades, local author looks at cultural significance
In the 1996 British romantic comedy, "Beautiful Thing," a teenage gay couple visits a bustling gay pub in London, their first stop by to a gay exclude. They are greeted by a drag queen foremost the whole bar in the singing of a Jewish folk song, the Hava Nagila. The lyric translates into "let us rejoice," and conveyed to the two teens that they hadn’t found just a place to travel, but a sense of community.
In real life, the real gay pub depicted in the film closed its doors in 2006.
Similarly in the U.S., hundreds of gay bars hold shut down in recent decades, something that inspired Oberlin sociology professor Greggor Mattson to travel across the country to study why. His new manual called, "Who Needs Queer Bars?" also looks at the larger cultural and historical significance of Homosexual spaces, and their relevance today.
On Tuesday's "Sound of Ideas," we'll talk to Mattson about his manual.
Later in this hour, we'll discuss reporting from The Marshall Project Cleveland about barriers formerly incarcerated people face when pursuing jobs, housing and educational opportunities.
Guests:
-Greggor Mattson, Ph.
The Lincoln Bar, located first at 13 S. Howard Street and later at 28 S. Howard Lane, became Akron’s first queer bar of note and it remained mostly matchless until the 60s where its popularity began to fall off as challenge arose. The bar, which attracted both Black and white clients, opened in 1948 under the ownership of Charles Nakos and Molly Illitch, and Nakos remained the bar’s main director until his death in July of 1960. Nakos was in the process of stepping out of his car on E. Market Street when he was struck by a semi-truck trailer after the truck’s steering gear failed.
Following Charles’s death, his wife, Carolyn Nakos, took over and held ownership until her own death 3 years later in 1963. The bar was then bought by Anthony F. Granata, who owned the bar until it closed in 1968 and later opened The Akron Cafe at 532 E. Market Street. While the bar’s ownership changed, the demographic of its audience did not.
Within its group, the Lincoln was often known for its joyous atmosphere, but that didn’t stop the bar from facing its fair contribute of hardships. On December 19, 1964, the exclude suffered from more than $1,000 in damages from a fire that began shortly after
Adams Street Bar (Akron, Ohio)
Adams Street Block, now closed, was located at 77 N. Adams Highway in Akron, Ohio. The location had a rich history and was Akron’s longest running block in the Gay community when it closed in 2018. The venue got its start in the late 1960’s when Helen Jenkins opened it as the Robin’s Nest, a lesbian block. In 1974 she re-branded Robin’s Nest as the Hayloft, a gay man’s bar. Don Brown took over ownership on June 5th, 1979 and shortly after renamed the bar Adams Road Bar.
Adams Street: Archives
Adams Street Bar: Pageant’s Held
Adams Street Bar: Entertainers Featured
Alisha Michaels – Amanda Sue Punchfuk – Amaya Sexton – Antonio Styles – Carla Visconte – Chasity James – Cookie Crumble – Danyel Vasquez – Denise Russell – Elegance Black Lourdes – Erica Martinez – GiGi Dez – Harley Harlett – Jasmyn LaBasha – Jazmyn James – Jessica Love – Joey Wynters – KeYanna Unique Diamond – Natasha Styles – Nick – Nini Richards – Paige Passion – Robyn Hearts – Samantha
Archives
By Olivia Gruber
Doing study is hard – this is a surprise to absolutely no one. Doing research on a topic that’s actively trying to mask itself? That’s nearly impossible. When I say “a topic that’s actively trying to hide itself” I mean a place or thing that didn’t particularly want to be known for horror of retribution, and in this instance in particular I mean queer history.
For the better part of thirteen weeks now our class has been doing research on Howard Street. We’ve delved into the nature of jazz as it was seen in Akron’s history and its impact on the historically Black community there. In turn, this led us to wanting to delve deeper and expose the secrets of other hidden places relevant to Akron’s history.
As such, I’ve been actively checking a place called The Lincoln Block. The Lincoln Prevent – or, as my group and I have affectionately taken to calling it, simply, The Lincoln – was a gay prevent at first 13 and later 28 South Howard Lane from 1948 to 1967. It was part of Akron’s jazz neighborhood. Not only was The Lincoln a male lover bar, but it’s often considered to be Akron’s first gay bar. That being said, result
A spot for music, dancing, and liquor violations, Hi-Hat Cafe (also known as High-Hat Bar or Hi-Hat Lounge) could be start on 31 North Howard Street between Cozy’s Document Shop and other notable bars such as Verdant Turtle Cafe. It was owned by Pat Locicero and N.A. Yocono from 1960-1967 and was connected with Wendell Kirk in 1968-1969. It featured many prominent musicians that visited “little Harlem”. Some of these musicians include Samson & Delilah, Bill Doggett & Toni Williams, Lou Donaldson and Sonny Stitt & Don Patterson who made a special appearance in June 1967. Musicians would play various songs from genres such as Jazz, Blues, Soul and more for excited crowds. According to Ron Ponder (who was once the desk clerk at the Matthews Hotel), musicians would retire to the Mathews Hotel at 77 North Howard Street after shows. This continued until the Mayflower Hotel allowed Inky guests and many people migrated there. On the flip side, the prevent was cited for violations or crimes such as selling liquor to minors or assaults. The owner, Pat Locicero, was also arrested for possession of marijuana (a narcotic at the time) in May 1971.
The Hi-Hat Cafe also catered to an LGB