Mary's (Houston)

In its early days, Mary's employed go-go boys, and originally featured a neon sign that read "Mary's Lounge" in the front of the building, which was gone by 1979. Early advertisements also referred to the bar as "Mary's, Naturally". Mary's included a jukebox and its bar tops were decorated with pictures of its patrons. Mary's also included a backyard patio and garden, known as the Outback, that had been planted in remembrance of HIV/AIDS victims; the profits from vegetables grown in this garden, along with drag queen tips, were often donated to charity. A statue of an angel, which had been there since the early days of the bar and which artist Steve Swoveland restored, stood inside Mary's and became a centerpiece for those paying their respects to the victims of the crisis. Mary's became a landmark and catered to virtually every aspect of the LGBT community. ==History==

Opening Mary's was opened in 1970 at the corner of Westheimer and Waugh Drive in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston, Texas. Montrose was at that time becoming a prominent gayborhood in Houston, and was the first gay bar to open on a main road, as well as to have windows. In November 1969, Joe Anthony bought the property, which was at the time named Tommy's Lounge. The bar was owned by the widow of Tommy Musselwhite, herself also named Tommy. Joe Anthony owned the vending machines in Tommy's Lounge. One night, having spied the antique cash register, Joe asked Tommy how much she would sell it for. She $6000, but Joe could have the bar to go along with it. After finalizing the deal, Joe's son Mike reportedly said, "Well, Mary, now that you own the place, what are you gonna call it?" And Mary's Naturally was born. In January, 1974, Joe Anthony sold the bar to Jim "Fanny" Farmer. Cliff Owens became co-owner sometime in the late 1970s. for 1980 and his assistant manager, Andy Mills. after Mary's closed, looters periodically broke into the bar and stole the remaining furnishings. The property was bought by owners of a newly constructed neighboring restaurant, Anvil Bar & Refuge, in 2011. While a small shed at the back of the property was condemned and demolished, the back lot and main building were spared. The building was reopened in 2012 as a coffee shop named Blacksmith, while its back patio and lot were turned into a parking garage for neighboring businesses. The Gulf Coast Archive and Museum keeps a few Mary's artifacts on display. == Place of gay rights activism ==

Political activism In “The History of Gay Bathhouses,” Allen Bérubé writes “In a nation which has for generations mobilized its institutions toward making gay people invisible, illegal, isolated, ignorant and silent, gay baths and bars became the first stages of a movement of civil rights for gay people in the United States." Mary's Naturally was that bar in Houston. During the ownership of Fanny Farmer, Mary's moved from being a popular hangout to being a hub for gay rights activism and organization in Houston. Farmer frequently and financially supported the Gay Political Caucus (GPC) in Houston. He supported and participated heavily in Gay Pride Week. According to gay activist, Ray Hill, in 1980, the early planning of the Kaposi Sarcoma Foundation, the precursor for the AIDS Foundation of Houston, happened in Mary's. Later Mary's owner, Cliff Owens said in a 2002 interview, “Farmer was politically astute, and Mary’s became the place where gay men organized themselves…“The gay community’s roots are right here, in this room, in this building." One estimate by bar regular John Paul Jones said patron deaths sometimes averaged three per month.]: 1. Baldoso, Manny 2. Bartlow, Mitch 3. Beauregard, Gary 4. Braswell, Russell Wayne - 'Pinky Flashwell' 5. Burroughs, Jack 6. Buschlen, John 7. Cayton, Jerry Brock 8. Davis, Marvin – 'Lady Victoria Lust' 9. Denning, Lee 10. Denton, Carl Jr. 11. Dunwoody, Dennis 12. Farmer, Jim – 'Fannie' (urn buried in Out Back mound, marked by Sugar Maple tree) 13. Gray, Bill 14. Harris, Floyd - 'Shorty' (near big Live Oak, middle of west side) 15. Lampkin, Paul 16. Liddel, Tommy – 'Torchy Lane' 17. Lippert, Lief 18. Livingston, Rita (Hibiscus was planted, but remains went to Flagship Pier) 19. Lococo, Vince 20. Kennedy, Robert - 'Ethel' 21. Mathis, Judy 22. McAdory, Michael 'Mac' Houston 23. Miesch, Mike 24. Millen, Michael Joseph 25. Parks, Randolph (shot glass of Smirnoff released with balloons; memorial plant) 26. Phillips, John Paul 27. Roberts, Carol Lea 'Carolyn' 28. Roberts, Jerry 29. Robinson, Tim 30. Rujous, Frank - 'Rita Charles' 31. Ryan, Chuck 32. Schall, Don (ashes planted with white Crepe Myrtle tree in Out Back) 33. Sebastian, Nate 34. Smith, Marc 35. Smith, Terry 36. Sommers, BJ 37. Saylors, Michael 38. Unknown, Parker (marked by tombstone) 39. Unknown, Unknown ('Mad Madge') 40. Wadford, Tony – 'Eartha Quake' 41. Warren, Billy 42. Wenckus, Jon (purple Dendrobium Orchid sprays tied to balloon releases) 43. Williamson, David Earl - 'Meg' 44. Woods, Don 45. Christofoletti, Gary Pat &. Numerous Other Houston GLBT Community Members (estimates are between 200 and 300) Pets 1. Farmer, Jim - German Shepherd 'Sam' 2. Roberts, Carol Lea - Several Pets 3. Scott, Doug ('Dog Lips') - Dog &. Numerous Other Pets A cylinder-shaped time capsule is also buried in Mary's Outback, placed there in the 1970s by the Houston Motorcycle Club. When Farmer died of AIDS in 1991, Gaye Yancey and Terry Smith adopted his share of the bar. Farmer was cremated and his urn was buried in the back lot of Mary's, under a tree. ==Murals==

Between 1990 and 1999, gay artist Scott Swoveland painted more than 500 scenes on the four-paneled Plexiglas front window once per week, portraying events, advertisements, tributes, and other scenes. Swoveland, who had been hired as a barback, was asked by the owner to paint the murals. His designs each took one full day to create. The Houston Police Department sometimes called in with complaints against his often suggestive designs. During the AIDS epidemic, Swoveland worked to create more jovial, upbeat memorials to combat the numerous deaths and memorial services within Houston's LGBT community. Other scenes on the outside walls portrayed Janis Joplin, a memorial to a former owner's German Shepherd, and a false window depicting the inside of the bar. The effort used the image of the cat, the only part of the original mural to be preserved, and a projected image of the original mural to trace and paint the mural onto the wall. The mural was vandalized within 12 hours of being painted, but it was quickly restored. ==References==