Bring Back the Spectacular: When the Upper West Side Had the Most Fabulous Basement in the City
The article reflects on the cultural legacy of the Continental Baths, a historic New York City bathhouse that served as a hub for gay liberation and celebrity culture in the 1970s. It discusses the potential modern-day revival of such spaces in light of changing public health standards and social attitudes.
Why it matters
It documents a significant chapter in LGBTQ+ history while exploring how urban social spaces evolve alongside public health and civil rights progress.
Alfred Hitchcock came just for the swimming. No sex. “He would just come, watch, look at people, swim in the tub and then leave,” Steve Ostrow, founder of the Continental Baths in the basement of the Ansonia, once told the Guardian in a profile of the Upper West Side bathhouse, which became a trailblazer for sexual liberation and one of the world’s most influential gay clubs. “People would say: ‘Who is that fat guy in the towel?’”
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