River Queen
Bar Dance | Women
402 N Water St
Milwaukee, WI 53202
State Region
Southeast WI
Neighborhood
Historic Third Ward
Year Opened: 1971
Year Closed: 1976
Exact Date Opened: Thursday, July 01, 1971
Exact Date Closed: Monday, September 06, 1976
Clientele Primarily Identified As
Gay
Logo:
On July 1, 1971, Al Barry and George Prentice opened the River Queen, a legendary Milwaukee gay bar, in the historic Cross Keys Hotel. The bar was popular with a hip, mixed, next-generation crowd, as well as celebrities like Carol Channing, and Milton Berle. In the mid-70s, a Milwaukee Police Department investigation forever exploded the payoff system that had long protected local gay bars. The River Queen was forced to close in September 1976 due to licensing issues, but the space reopened as the extremely short-lived S.S. River Queen in August 1978 with "Doctor Feelgood's Jazz Riverboat" restaurant. In March 1979, Tiny's Waterfront Disco was announced -- but it never opened due to Tiny's murder -- leaving the 127-year-old tavern space vacant and vulnerable. The Cross Keys was destroyed by fire in November 1979, demolished in May 1980, and remained vacant until the Milwaukee Public Market opened in May 2005.
destroyed by a fire in 1979 and demolished in 1980.
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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!
Al Barry sold the River Queen on June 30, 1973 to Jimmy O'Connor for $25,000.
O'Connor is responsible for launching the Club Health Spa, a 24-hour bathhouse that sold memberships in the bar, and for advancing the GPU VD Clinic, which opened within the Spa on October 11, 1974. It was the first gay men's health service of its kind in the country.
After being charged with two federal felony counts, O'Connor could no longer hold a license, and the River Queen's operation was in legal jeopardy. O'Connor claimed he was being unjustly targeted. During a January 1976 inquest, investigators found evidence that local gay bars had long been paying off Milwaukee Police officers with cash, gifts, liquor, and after hours parties. O'Connor testified that he'd inherited this arrangement from Al Barry, who had inherited it from bar operators long before him.
Although Side Door was advertised in the former River Queen space (but using the 212 E. St. Paul Ave. "side door" address,) it's unclear if this was really a new bar opening in June 1976, or just a diversionary tactic to distract authorities from the fact the (temporarily closed) River Queen was still operating without a liquor license. Next to nothing is known about the Side Door, other than its sudden appearance and disappearance.
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!
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