Bar Food | Women
157 S 1st St
Milwaukee, WI 53204
State Region
Southeast WI
Neighborhood
Walkers Point
Year Opened: 1973-12-01
Year Closed: 1977-12-31
Exact Date Opened: Unknown
Exact Date Closed: Unknown
Clientele Primarily Identified As
Lesbian
Logo:
The Leaded Shade, a new type of lesbian bar that rejected the rigid roles of earlier venues, opened in January 1974. Initially, it was a women's bar managed by Sharon Dixon, and known for its vibrant feminist social scene and fiercely loyal customers. In August 1976, the Leaded Shade reopened as a men's bar under the management of popular hairdresser Larry Weber. In 1977, Sue Luke took over the business and welcomed both men and women. The Leaded Shade was owned by Pete and Beverly Nilssen, who sold the business in 1978 to focus on their new space, Lost & Found Disco.
INPUT ALWAYS WELCOME!
We are always looking for photos of the exterior and interiors of Bars and other Places, as well as information about ownership, activities and opening and closing background info about Places. We welcome your input and photos!
INPUT ALWAYS WELCOME!
We are always looking for photos of the exterior and interiors of Bars and other Places, as well as information about ownership, activities and opening and closing background info about Places. We welcome your input and photos!
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
© 2025 Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project. All Rights Reserved.