Mount Morris Bath House near Harlem New York

[Mac 100]

Is this place still around?.I went there about 10 years ago and was wondering if it is still open.?

 

Will be in New York later this month and just may pay a visit.

 

Thanks for any info

 

 

Mac 100

[+ Tom Isern]

Mount Morris Baths - Steam & Turkish CLOSED... see:

http://www.frankjump.com/046.html

 

This image was originally part of a collection I call Urban EdiGlyphs- which is also featured at the THE FADING AD GALLERY in Brooklyn.

 

This establishment has been around since the twenties. It had been frequented chiefly by African-American men. When gay bath houses were systematically closed during the eighties by the NYC Dept of Health - in their hasty response to the AIDS crisis, this one was overlooked. I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

 

Thanks to recent e-mails, it has come to my attention that since its recent closing, the Gay press has not made the same uproar as they have over the closing of the Wall Street Sauna. Mt. Morris had remained open until last year (2003) when it was closed by the NYC Buildings Dept. for structural problems. It was one of few establishments in that area that distributed safe-sex information and paraphernalia. It will be sorely missed.

[+ Charlie]

Good grief! A friend and I went to the Mt. Morris Baths about 40 years ago, when I was trying out all the possible sex venues in that pre-Stonewall era. It was pretty run-down even then, but it was crowded and very sexually active. We expected to be the only white guys there, but were surprised to discover that there was a good racial mix, although it was predominantly black. We never went back, though, because the facilities at places like the Everards and St. Mark's Baths were better, as well as more convenient (I could walk home from the Everards late at night, because I lived only a few blocks away).

[DelawareGuy]

Ah, the St Mark's baths. Now that brings back some memories! :-)