08/14/2026
Philly history via matchbooks!! 1-2 Peep the address 👀Equus was one of the many gay bars that has occupied 254 South 12th Street over the decades. From 1977 to 1983 Equus showcased talents such as Eartha Kitt and Christine Jorgensen.
2-4 Westbury Bar which closed in 2014 due to a fire. From Gaybarchives group on FB: The Westbury began as Westbury Grill in the 1940s, the hotel bar of the Westbury Hotel at 15th and Spruce streets. That hotel has since been converted to apartments. The venue later changed its name to Westbury Bar and began advertising as a gay bar in LGBT publications in the early 1960s.
“It was kind of a musical bar in the ‘50s, they had a lot of entertainment there,” said local LGBT historian Bob Skiba. “And then by the ‘60s it had turned into a gay bar.”
LGBT nightlife at the time was spread across both sides of Broad Street, with the west side considered more upscale and the east a bit seedier, Skiba noted But, largely through the efforts of the LGBT community, the area east of Broad evolved Chuck Brault took over ownership from Ned Katuran in the summer of 2009 and gave the space an extensive makeover, installing flat-screen televisions and expanding the drink and food selections. The Westbury had been one of the city’s longest-running LGBT bars; Tavern on Camac dates back to the 1920s.
5. élan was an upscale nightclub with a focus on singles and was frequented by celebrities. It operated in the Warwick Hotel at 17th and Locust (where Spice Finch is now) and was open from 1978 to the late 80’s.
