Gay Bars Built A Community

The Gay Bars of Asbury Park That Built A Community

Asbury Park has a long and colorful history – and throughout much of it has been the presence of an LGBT community. It’s a rich and fascinating story, filled with iconic businesses, unforgettable characters and a rich, colorful and at times painful story of community, resilience, great loss, deep disappointment, family, and extraordinary human beings.

This article is the first of a three-part series highlighting key chapters of Asbury Park’s LGBT history. We begin here with The Gay Bars of Asbury Park, to be followed by Asbury Park and the AIDS Epidemic, and concluding with Asbury Park & the LGBT Community Today

Early Roots

Before the internet – and long before dating apps, bars were among the few safe places where gay people could meet and connect. From the 1960’s through the late 1990’s, Asbury Park was home to a thriving scene, with dozens of gay-owned clubs, restaurants, hotels and diners. Estimates suggest there were more than 35 such establishments during that period. A full list can be found at the end of this article.

Icons of the Scene

The Blue Note, at 208 Bond St, was a happenin’ hotspot in the 1960’s. Originally a jazz and blues club, it soon gained popularity as a gay bar. In the mid-60’s, the bar was closed down for 6 months by undercover agents from the State of NJ Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) for “catering to homosexuals”. After it re-opened, its doorman was responsible for circulating through the crowd to make sure men were not touching or kissing.

The Owl & The Pussy Cat was a beloved lesbian bar on the corner of Main and Cookman, where Brando’s Citi Cucina now stands. Carol Torre, and her business partners Camille Neto and Kay SanFillippo, leased the space and managed the bar. In 1980, Carol and her business partners then purchased The Albion Hotel, located on the block bordered by Kingsley, Ocean, 2nd, and 3rd. They transformed it into The Key West Hotel a lesbian-owned and managed hotel with 4 bars, a restaurant, 65 rooms, and a pool. Tremendously popular, it operated until mid-1990 when, after a long and painful legal battle, the city took the property by eminent domain, displacing the owners and taking away their livelihood. Carol and her partners surrendered the property in 1990, but would not receive any compensation for another six years. The hotel sat vacant until it was torn down in 2001. That property sits undeveloped and remains a parking lot to the present day.

The M&K, one of Asbury Park’s most famous gay bars, was originally owned by Paul Wisniewski. The original M&K opened in the 70’s and was located at 331 Cookman until 1980. It then moved across the street and into the old Charms Building at 401 Monroe Ave (on the corner of Heck and Monroe). The Charms Building was constructed in 1914 as an Elks Club and then served as the Charms Candy packing plant in the 1940s. It was torn down in 2010. The M&K billed itself as Asbury Park’s First and Biggest Gay Bar and Disco. The business originally featured a gay-men-only bar on the 2nd floor and a women-only bar on the 3rd floor. In 1990, Four women – Carol Torre, Camille Neto and Kay SanFillippo, and their new business partner Mickey Carter, purchased the building from Paul Wisniewski. They kept the M&K name and opened up a liquor store, a deli and 2 bars, one of which was a huge disco. The M&K was renowned as a place for amazing community, GREAT dancing, and a place where lifelong memories and friendships were created.

Chez L (French for “at her place”), opened around 1965 at the corner of Summerfield and Cookman (at that time Summerfield went all the way through). It was owned and operated by one of Asbury Park’s most legendary women, Margaret “Maggie” Hogan. She was loud, had strong opinions and was fiercely loyal to her women friends and patrons! Above all else, she was strong-willed and didn’t take anything from anybody!! In 1967, she convinced the owners of Manny’s Den (later The Den) in New Brunswick, and Val’s, in Atlantic City, to file suit and challenge the discriminatory liquor laws that specifically targeted gay bars. For at that time it was illegal in the State of New Jersey to serve alcohol to “apparent homosexuals”. The ABC used undercover agents to go into gay bars to revoke their liquor licenses and ultimately shut them down. The case against the State Alcoholic Beverage Commission went to the State Supreme Court. They won – setting a new legal precedence. ABC agents testified that they could identify “fruits” by “the clothes they wore,” such as “tight jeans, turtleneck sweaters, gaily printed pants, very casual shirts, sneakers, moccasins, and boots.” It was Maggie Hogan’s grit and determination that moved her to stand up and fight for her community, at a time when doing so was all but unheard of – especially by an out lesbian woman in the mid-1960s.

Danny’s was located across the street from Chez L, on the south side of Cookman Ave. Danny’s was always rumored to have been owned by the mob. The bar only lasted for one or two years. Maggie Hogan was ‘less than pleased’ with her neighbor, most likely because of the owners: she did not take kindly to straight men making money off the gay community. Danny’s eventually burned down and reports were that as it was burning, Maggie ran out of Chez L to serve champagne to the firefighters and celebrate the demise of the bar across the street.

Later Years and Lingering Legacies

The Atlantis was a classy venue and restaurant that featured performers such as the great Eartha Kitt. Fire destroyed it in the early ’80’s and it was reopened as Visions. Later it became Down The Street, and it was a vibrant venue owned by John Hitchcock, previously the manager and DJ at The M&K. The name Down the Street was adopted because the business was located ‘down the street’ from other popular gay clubs such as The Odyssey. Down The Street had 2 bars, a dance floor, a volleyball court, a food cart and a quiet sitting area outside. When Asbury Park went into a steep decline in the 80’s, Down The Street remained open while almost all the other bars closed. Finally closing their doors in 2000.

The Loading Dock was a lounge and dance bar on the south side of Cookman Ave, between Main and Bond. Many of the patrons preferred using the back alley entrance to avoid being seen. The Colony Baths were located at 500 Summerfield, right on the corner of Summerfield and Grand. It was a popular gay bathhouse until it “mysteriously” burned down on Halloween in 1980. A second gay bathhouse opened at 208 3rd Ave in what was later called Dr. Sorge’s Abunda Life building. It was only open for a couple of years

Georgies, a self-proclaimed “gay dive bar,” opened up November 1, 1999. George Lister, owner and proprietor, opened the bar in loving memory of his longtime partner, George Aten. George Lister was a former Navy man and social studies teacher in Toms River, New Jersey. In Asbury, he created a local pub that is often referred to as a “gay Cheers.” At Georgies, you can always count on great friends, awesome bar food, pool, sports on multiple TVs, drag shows, go-go boys and karaoke. It’s a tight knit community, where everybody knows everybody else.

The Empress Hotel originally built in the 1950’s it was a favorite of Judy Garland when she would perform at The Paramount Theater or the Garden State Arts Center (now PNC Arts Center). NYC DJ and Madonna’s former manager, Shep Pettibone bought the hotel in 1998 and launched the legendary Paradise nightclub in 1999. The Empress Hotel reopened in 2004. Today, Paradise and The Empress have become a mecca for LGBT vacationers and club goers. The summer Sunday Tea-Dance and drag shows are legendary having hosted some of the greatest DJ’s and drag performers of our time!

The gay bars of Asbury Park weren’t just nightlife—they were lifelines. They offered joy, connection, and a sense of belonging in a world that too often denied it. Through decades of change, they helped shape a resilient, vibrant community that continues to thrive today. But in the mid-80’s and 90’s, the party would come to a crashing halt. It was a dark time that changed the world forever.

No words captured the spirit of Asbury Park in the late ’80s and ’90s more than those of Charles Dickens: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” In the wake of the riots, the city bore deep scars—shuttered storefronts, crumbling buildings, and a growing population of people society had cast aside: the mentally ill, IV drug users, sex workers, and the unhoused. It was here, in this forgotten corner, that the AIDS epidemic struck with devastating force. But amid the grief and fear, something extraordinary emerged.

In our next article, we’ll remember the men, women, the fierce Black drag queens, and unsung heroes who rose from the margins to fight for those deemed unworthy — offering not just care, but dignity, love, and fierce compassion. Their legacy is the beating heart of the inclusive community that we know and love today.

A Special Thanks to Maryann Vitello, Mickey Carter, Robert Roccia, Phil McCabe, Frank D’Alessandro David Hoffman and Fr. Bob Keading and Stephean Skuce.

A comprehensive list of gay bars, restaurants, hotels and businesses including:

Paddock Bar, Colony Club (bath house), Cookman Plaza Hotel, The M&K, Boots, The Gardner Hotel, Chez-L, Atlantis, Archie’s, The Blue Note, The Owl & Pussycat,
Bond St. Bar, Key West Hotel, The Odyssey, The Loading Dock, Down The Street, Teddy’s, Cruisin, The Circuit, Zippers, Hitching Rail, The Key West Hotel, Jimmy’s, Anybody’s, Paradise, George’s, The Tides, Flo’s Diner, Harry’s, The Talking Bird, Arcadia Flowers, Stonewall Restaurant, Sting Rays Levi-Leather Club, Etc Books & Cards and LaPlume Card & Gift Shop.