Vincent Brook and I kicked off our book-signing tour yesterday at the historic Black Cat Tavern in Silver Lake. We were joined there by our spouses, Karen Brook and Donna Locke as well as Jeff Mantor, owner of Larry Edmunds Bookshop in Hollywood. Thanks to our many neighbors and friends old and new that stopped by to purchase a personal copy (or two) of the book, including Andrew Sears, Stephanie Vendig, Jennifer Palmer-Lacy, Julia Rodagna, Scott Crawford, Christi Moore, Barry Milofsky, Monique Frese, and Cathryne Bray Macievic. By the way, the food at the Black Cat is delicious; we'll be back!
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Tags: The Black Cat Silver Lake Chronicles Michael Locke
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Vincent Brook and I kicked off our book-signing tour yesterday at the historic Black Cat Tavern in Silver Lake. We were joined there by our spouses, Karen Brook and Donna Locke as well as Jeff Mantor, owner of Larry Edmunds Bookshop in Hollywood. Thanks to our many neighbors and friends old and new that stopped by to purchase a personal copy (or two) of the book, including Andrew Sears, Julia Rodagna, Scott Crawford, Christi Moore, Stephanie Vendig, Jennifer Palmer-Lacy, Barry Milofsky, Monique Frese, and Cathryne Bray Macievic. By the way, the food at the Black Cat is delicious; we'll be back!
The Black Cat Tavern was an historic gay and lesbian tavern which originally opened in November 1966. It gained notoriety after plain-clothes police officers infiltrated the establishment on New Year's Eve and began beating and arresting patrons that they observed kissing, which created a riot in the immediate area.
The event predated the more famous Stonewall Riots held in Greenwich Village by two years. On November 7, 2008, the site was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument, HCM No. 939.
After operating as a gay bar under several names, on November 30, 2012 the site became a restaurant named The Black Cat. It is no longer a gay bar, but it has photographs of the events of 1967. If you would like to learn more about SILVER LAKE, please LIKE us on our FACEBOOK page! www.facebook.com/SilverLakeChronicles
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Tags: The Black Cat Silver Lake Chronicles Michael Locke
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During Gay Pride Week in Los Angeles (June 12-14, 2015) and in celebration of the U.S. Supreme Court to allow gay marriage nation-wide,gay activists and friends put up this display at The Black Cat, site of the first documented LGBT civil rights demonstration in the nation, held on February 11, 1967.
The site was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 939) in 2008.
The Black Cat is now a restaurant and bar located in Silver Lake at 3909 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90029.
Tags: The Black Cat Michael Locke Michael Locke, Photographer Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument Gay Rights LGBT LGBT History
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It may have never happened before or since but in January 1949 the Los Angeles basin experienced a snow fall. Here can be seen houses and trees overlooking the Silver Lake Reservoir all blanketed in snow. Silver Lake residence William P. Taube had this photo in his collection and graciously offered me the opportunity to scan it for my Silver Lake archives.
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Villa Capistrano is an elegant Italianate villa originally designed for Julian Eltinge, America's first drag superstar by the renowned architect brothers Francis Pierpont and Walter Swindell Davis, best known as creators of the courtyard apartment. Eltinge established himself as the greatest female impersonator in the history of the American theater. Unlike other gender illusionists of his time, who typically presented themselves as caricatures of femininity, Eltinge presented the illusion of actually being a woman. No one before or since has rivaled his success. His solo debut in New York in 1907, in which he parodied the Gibson Girl was a smash hit and catapulted him to the pinnacle of female impersonators. As Varitety enthused, "The audience was completely deceived as to Eltinge's sex, until he removed his wig... his act is far and away above what is described as female impersonation." Removing his wig to the audience's great amazement became a regular part of his act, always delivered at a high point of the performance for maximum effect.
Notes taken from the book, Silver Lake Chronicles: Exploring an Urban Oasis in Los Angeles. Used the permission. Photo courtesy of the Bill Taube Photo Collection. Please do not use this image in any media without my permission. © All rights reserved.
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