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Gay History in Toronto
- Thread starter LowPolygon
- Start date
EVCco
Senior Member
I think any future overhaul of the Coach Terminal should include a rebranding as the "Male Sex Mart"...
LowPolygon
Senior Member
The Municipal Hotel, 67 Queen Street West.
(Text from: http://www.rbebout.com/)
From the late 1940s local gay men had known the intersection of Queen and Bay as "The Corners," a place where they could surely find each other at the taverns in the Municipal and the Union House hotels, just across Queen from where the gleaming new city hall would stand by 1965. Bowles Lunch was right at The Corners, its basement counter (and washrooms) open all night.
Yet in hotel taverns and elsewhere, gay customers were usually a minority, if carving out bits of territory for themselves. Even the Municipal, which held a Halloween drag show in 1961, wasn't entirely gay. An earlier liquor inspector's report on it had noted:
"This room seemed to be a meeting place for young men with feminine characteristics and possibly sex perverts. There were at least twelve of this calibre at different tables in the south part [that is, the back] of the room."
Nor were these places the great democratic melting pots that gay venues were sometimes reputed to be. In Coming Out in a Cold Climate, David Churchill noted distinct class differences.
Working men's pubs had long had gay patrons but, as in most places, usually off in their own corner. George Hislop recalls the Municipal and the Union as "The Chamber of Commerce" and "The Board of Trade" -- not only for their proximity to the Bay Street financial district, but for hustlers doing business there.
(Text from: http://www.rbebout.com/)
From the late 1940s local gay men had known the intersection of Queen and Bay as "The Corners," a place where they could surely find each other at the taverns in the Municipal and the Union House hotels, just across Queen from where the gleaming new city hall would stand by 1965. Bowles Lunch was right at The Corners, its basement counter (and washrooms) open all night.
Yet in hotel taverns and elsewhere, gay customers were usually a minority, if carving out bits of territory for themselves. Even the Municipal, which held a Halloween drag show in 1961, wasn't entirely gay. An earlier liquor inspector's report on it had noted:
"This room seemed to be a meeting place for young men with feminine characteristics and possibly sex perverts. There were at least twelve of this calibre at different tables in the south part [that is, the back] of the room."
Nor were these places the great democratic melting pots that gay venues were sometimes reputed to be. In Coming Out in a Cold Climate, David Churchill noted distinct class differences.
Working men's pubs had long had gay patrons but, as in most places, usually off in their own corner. George Hislop recalls the Municipal and the Union as "The Chamber of Commerce" and "The Board of Trade" -- not only for their proximity to the Bay Street financial district, but for hustlers doing business there.
jaborandi
Active Member
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Thanks deepend. This is really fascinating stuff. Where was Chez Paree located?
LowPolygon
Senior Member
thank you! Chez Paree was located at 220 Bloor St West, where the Intercontinental Yorkville presently sits.
it opened in 1940, and was closed in 1966. the owner/manager for the entire 26 years was a gent named J.G. Sparfel.
LowPolygon
Senior Member
The Savarin Hotel 336-44 Bay Street
“The Savarin Hotel was the first gay beverage room I ever went to in Toronto. At that time it was one of the most popular gay spots in town. It was by no means exclusively gay but a great many of the customers there were gay men. The bars were strictly segregated in those days - there were no women on the men's side…And I noticed that the men would come in and so many of them would know each other. I hadn't observed that in the past.â€
Text from Jim Egan’s book: Challenging the Conspiracy of Silence: My life As a Canadian Gay Activist
“The Savarin Hotel was the first gay beverage room I ever went to in Toronto. At that time it was one of the most popular gay spots in town. It was by no means exclusively gay but a great many of the customers there were gay men. The bars were strictly segregated in those days - there were no women on the men's side…And I noticed that the men would come in and so many of them would know each other. I hadn't observed that in the past.â€
Text from Jim Egan’s book: Challenging the Conspiracy of Silence: My life As a Canadian Gay Activist
jaborandi
Active Member
I can recall just about everything else that was on this block except what buildings and businesses were located at this site before the Intercontinental. Maybe it was a parking lot!
LowPolygon
Senior Member
i'm a bit stumped as well. the Swiss Chalet was at 234 Bloor but that's a far east as i can remember until Remeyni Music at 210...
jaborandi
Active Member
Just east of Swiss Chalet was Frederick's which sold women's lingerie but I can't recall ever seeing any customers in the store. In the window were a couple of miniature display poodles doing something cheeky with some silk undies. There was also a Honey Dew in a vaguely Moderne limstone clad structure though that might be where the present Museum House Condo is. Then there was Palmer's drug store and lunch counter which might be the building directly east of the Exhibit condo currently in development. I'm going to stick with the parking lot suggestion.
Last edited:
adma
Superstar
Yeah, there was definitely a parking lot on the Intercontinental site--the *entire* site IIRC...
jaborandi
Active Member
Thanks adma! One less thing to keep me awake at night.
thecharioteer
Senior Member
jaborandi
Active Member
Thanks for posting charioteer. By my reckoning, Chez Paree is the sixth building west of the Park Plaza. Does that make sense?
LowPolygon
Senior Member
i believe you are right! interesting how many empty lots there are in that strip. Chez Paree was right across the road from Philosophers Walk--a well known gay stroll and scene of countless arrests of gay men.
LowPolygon
Senior Member
.