Owners Threaten To Put Original Stonewall Inn On Market: Report

WEST VILLAGE, NY — A nonprofit working to turn part of the original Stonewall Inn into a visitor center and monument has been given a week to sign a deal before the landlord puts the historic building on the market, according to the Daily Beast.

For more than two years, the nonprofit Pride Live has worked with the National Park Service and the National Parks Conservation Association in the hopes of purchasing part of the original Stonewall Inn that has sat vacant for years.

Its goal is to turn the property into a community space and visitor center for the present-day Stonewall Inn.

The iconic gay bar and National Historic Landmark in the West Village was originally located within the 51 and 53 Christopher Street storefronts, before getting separated into two spaces over the decades.

The current Stonewall Inn now only occupies 53 Christopher Street, while the storefront at 51 Christopher Street has been empty for years after serving as a home to a nail salon, bagel shop, and cocktail lounge, according to the Daily Beast.

Pride Live, a nonprofit that seeks to elevate the awareness and support for the LGBTQ+ community, has organized meetings with the building's private owners that have included elected officials, architects, historians and the National Park Service. These conversations were heading toward a successful deal, according to the Daily Beast.

However, a few days before Pride Month kicked off in June, Pride Live said the owners told the nonprofit it had one week to sign a long-term lease — a short-notice ultimatum that threatened the whole deal, the Daily Beast reported.

The owners of the original Stonewall Building, listed in public records as "Christopher & Seventh Realty, LLC," told the Daily Beast that they only put forth the ultimatum "after not receiving a substantive response for nearly two months."

You can read the full story on the Daily Beast's website.