A Brief History of Boots & Saddle
(76 Christopher Street)
Since 1974, Boots & Saddle Bar has been a Christopher Street staple. Located just off of 7th Avenue, (down the street from Village Cigars) Boots & Saddle is often referred to as the perfect neighborhood dive bar, opening its doors during the aftermath of the Stonewall Riots (and after the closure of The Stonewall Inn in 1969). From the 1920’s to the 1960’s, Boots & Saddle was George Herdt’s Bar, a hangout for “down and outers and alcoholics.” It was then transformed into the cowboy inspired Boots & Saddle, complete with whisky barrels, hitching posts, cowboy hats, and framed sheet music for Western hits like Gene Autry’s ‘Take Me Back to My Boots and Saddles.’ For a brief period, the bar was renamed BS:NY, but quickly reverted back to Boots & Saddle as to not scare off its long-time patrons. Recently, Boots & Saddle’s owners applied for a liquor license at a proposed new location at 37 Barrow Street, but were denied by the neighborhood’s community board. While a new location is yet unknown, the one fact that is certain is that this year will mark the bar’s 40th and last Pride celebration on Christopher Street. It’s the end of an era as the neighborhood loses yet another classic queer space along New York City’s ‘Great Gay Way‘.
