Management typically bribed the police, Mafia, and State Liquor Authority officials for protection, so they were tipped off in advance of an imminent raid and would sometimes turn up the lights to warn patrons to stop any open displays of affection or slow dancing, which could risk arrest. Law enforcement would selectively arrest patrons and managers, impound the cash register and alcohol, and padlock the front door. This led to routine police raids of gay bars and clubs. The presence of gay people was considered de facto disorderly. Starting in 1934, after the end of Prohibition, the New York State Liquor Authority regulated liquor licenses, which prohibited the serving of alcohol in “disorderly” establishments. The original Stonewall Inn was a gay bar that, like, virtually all gay bars since the 1930s, was operated by, or with some, Mafia involvement. In March 1965, the estate that had owned the property for over 150 years sold it, along with five adjacent properties, to Burt and Lucille Handelsman, who were wealthy real estate investors.
In 1934, Bonnie’s Stonewall Inn opened here as a popular Greenwich Village bar and restaurant, and operated until 1964, when the interior was destroyed by fire.
In 1930, they were combined with one façade to house a bakery. The two buildings were constructed as stables in the mid-19th century.
