| Gold Coast | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Gold-Coast-gay-bar-1978.jpg) Logo designed by Etienne | |
&sq=&lang=&file=File:GoldCoastExterior.jpeg) | |
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| General information | |
| Type | Gay bar, Leather bar |
| Address | 501 N Clark Street, Chicago, IL |
| Coordinates | 41°53′28″N 87°37′51″W / 41.891011°N 87.630811°W |
| Opened | 1960 |
| Relocated | 1962, 1965, 1967, 1984 |
| Closed | 1988 |
| Owner | Chuck Renslow |
Gold Coast was a leather bar for gay men in Chicago that operated from 1960 to 1988. It was one of the first bars created by and for the gay leather community in the United States.[1][2][3] For most of its 28 year history, between 1967 and 1984, the bar was located at 501 North Clark Street adjacent to Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood.[4] This was also the period of its legendary basement, called The Pit. It was one of several gay businesses owned and operated by Chuck Renslow.[2] The bar's founding led to the establishment of other gay businesses nearby, creating a kind of "gay district" in the area.[5]
- ^ "Remembering Chicago Leatherman Chuck Renslow". WBEZ Chicago. 2017-06-30. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
- ^ a b Goldsborough, Bob (2017-06-30). "Chuck Renslow, Chicago gay community icon and International Mr. Leather contest founder, dies at 87". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
- ^ "A Conversation About Chicago's Boystown". WBEZ Chicago. 2017-06-18. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
- ^ "Our History". Man's Country Chicago. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
- ^ Baim, Tracy; Keehnen, Owen; Kelley, William B.; Harper, Jorjet (2011). Leatherman: the legend of Chuck Renslow (1st ed.). Chicago: Prairie Avenue Productions. pp. 125–128. ISBN 978-1-4610-9602-3. OCLC 728063271.