Jack’s Bar opened at 10555 Euclid Avenue in 1958. Jack’s Bar operated as a straight neighborhood bar when it initially opened in 1952. Though popular, business at Jack’s Bar began to decline by 1957. Twiggy Morgan, a well-known local drag performer and frequent Jack’s patron, recommended to Jack’s straight part-owner Joe Bruno that the bar ought to shift its target demographic to specifically cater to the gay community. After buying out his business partners, Joe Bruno purchased the bar in 1958 and reopened Jack’s as a gay club later that year. After its reopening as a gay bar in 1958, Jack’s Bar quickly became a favorite hangout spot for “gays, lesbians, and non-gay neighborhood people” alike. Much of Jack’s popularity among members of Cleveland’s LGBTQ+ communities resulted from the welcoming environment provided by Bruno and the resulting sense of “camaraderie” that developed among the bar’s regulars. Though Jack’s remained popular into the late 1960s, urban redevelopment of the surrounding area led Bruno to close Jack’s Bar in 1968. Bruno opened the 620 Club, a gay men’s bar, shortly thereafter.
Additional information coming soon.
Resources
- Eszterhas, Joseph. “Police Nab ‘Wyatt Earp,’ Firebomber.” Plain Dealer. June 1, 1967.
- Forbes, Dora. “620 Closes.” High Gear. December 1985.
- “Jack’s Bar.” In Guild Guide 1964. Washington: Guild Press Ltd., 1964. Page 65.
- “Jack’s Bar.” In International Guild Guide 1965. Washington: Guild Book Service, 1965. Page 77.
- “Joe Bruno: He’s Seen Them Come and Go.” High Gear. October 1981. Page 8.