By The WHEN MAIN STREET WAS GAY team
Reverend Nancy Wilson and Heather Anderson organized a branch of the MCC in Worcester in 1974, operating both out of their home at 744 Main Street and conducting services at United Congregational Church at 6 Institute Road, for which they each…

By The WHEN MAIN STREET WAS GAY team
Long before other Worcester religious groups became accepting of LGBTQ+ people, the United Congregational Church opened its doors to the community. In 1975, the city’s fledging chapter of the Metropolitan Community Church hosted services, spaghetti…

By The WHEN MAIN STREET WAS GAY team
The old pharmacy turn café served as the favorite spot for a bite to eat after the gay bars closed across the city.

By The WHEN MAIN STREET WAS GAY team
Gay pornography could be found on the magazine racks of this adult book stores and its coin-operated peep show booths offered another space for furtive sex or hook-ups in the city.

By The WHEN MAIN STREET WAS GAY team
A rack of gay porn magazines made this spot a destination for cruising on the backside of The Block.

By The WHEN MAIN STREET WAS GAY team
In 1967 the Paris took up residence in the old Capital Theatre, a 1920s movie palace that had seen better days. A year later the owners unveiled “Worcester’s first theater within a theater,” Paris Cinema 2, built on the balcony atop Paris Cinema 1.…

By The WHEN MAIN STREET WAS GAY team
Known by many names but most frequently “the Block,” the circuit defined by Salem, Portland, Franklin, and Myrtle Streets was Worcester’s most popular zone for gay male cruising and prostitution beginning in the early 1970s. In 1976, the Gay…

By The WHEN MAIN STREET WAS GAY team
When the old Bancroft Hotel reopened as the Worcester Sheraton, this stylish cocktail lounge attracted gay bar hoppers with its swanky décor.

By The WHEN MAIN STREET WAS GAY team
The Loft first offered regular LGBTQ+ nights before becoming a full-time gay night club. It changed its name to A-Men and then moved to Foster Street.

By The WHEN MAIN STREET WAS GAY team
David Marshall, who had invested in the Mailbox and other gay bars, went on to establish Club 241 at 241 Southbridge Street, which quickly became one of the centers of gay life in Worcester for over a decade. A lavish opening party took place on…