Mona's

135 West 3rd Street today

Mona's

Location: 135 West 3rd Street, New York, New York, USA

Opened/Closed: 1940s/1950s

Mona's must be one of New York's more obscure lesbian drinking establishments. I have found exactly ONE reference to it--and that's at New York Songlines: 3rd Street:

135: Was Mona's, a pioneering lesbian bar of the 1940s and '50s. Later known as the Purple Onion.

I could tell you all about the Purple Onion--a somewhat infamous "go-go" bar from the late 1960s--but that's kind of running off-topic. In fact, this particular location has a rather bizarre history overall. So bizarre, that the New York Times featured an article on the subject back in 1995. But without one single word about the "pioneering" Mona's. Once again, herstory erased....

This particular Mona's is not to be confused with the Mona's on Avenue B. The Avenue B Mona's is a punk-friendly dive bar dating back to the 1970s.

Photo: 135 West 3rd Street