Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop

Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop was a pioneering LGBT bookstore in New York City, founded by Craig Rodwell in 1967. The bookshop was named after the famous Irish author and LGBT icon Oscar Wilde, who was known for his works such as The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest. The bookshop quickly became a hub for the LGBT community, hosting events and selling books by authors like James Baldwin, Gore Vidal, and Truman Capote. It also played a significant role in the Stonewall riots, which were a series of spontaneous demonstrations by members of the LGBT community in response to a New York City Police Department raid on the Stonewall Inn.

● History

The Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop was founded in 1967 by Craig Rodwell, a LGBT rights activist who was inspired by the works of Oscar Wilde and wanted to create a space where LGBT individuals could find community and access to LGBT literature. The bookshop was initially located in Greenwich Village and quickly became a popular destination for LGBT people from all over the city, including Andy Warhol, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs. The bookshop also hosted events and readings by authors like Audre Lorde, Adrienne Rich, and James Purdy. In the 1970s, the bookshop moved to a new location in Chelsea, where it continued to thrive and become a staple of the New York City LGBT community, alongside other iconic institutions like the Gay Men's Health Crisis and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center.

● Location and Architecture

The Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop was located in the heart of New York City, in the Chelsea neighborhood, near other notable landmarks like the High Line and the Chelsea Piers. The bookshop was situated in a historic building that was once a 19th-century townhouse, and its architecture reflected the Victorian era style of the time, with intricate moldings and ornate details. The bookshop's interior was designed to be welcoming and inclusive, with comfortable seating areas and shelves upon shelves of LGBT literature, including works by authors like Radclyffe Hall, Djuna Barnes, and Jean Genet. The bookshop also featured a large LGBT-themed mural on its facade, which was painted by a local artist and became a popular spot for LGBT tourists and photographers, including Robert Mapplethorpe and Cindy Sherman.

● Significance and Impact

The Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop played a significant role in the LGBT rights movement, providing a safe space for LGBT individuals to gather, organize, and access LGBT literature and resources. The bookshop was also a hub for LGBT activism, hosting events and rallies for organizations like the Gay Liberation Front and the National Gay Task Force, which were founded by activists like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. The bookshop's impact extended beyond the LGBT community, as it helped to promote LGBT literature and LGBT culture to a wider audience, including authors like David Sedaris, Michael Cunningham, and Edmund White. The bookshop also inspired the creation of other LGBT bookstores and LGBT organizations across the country, including the LGBT Bookstore in San Francisco and the Lesbian Herstory Archives in Brooklyn.

● Collections and Events

The Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop featured an extensive collection of LGBT literature, including fiction, nonfiction, and poetry by authors like Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, and Langston Hughes. The bookshop also hosted a wide range of events, including author readings, book signings, and LGBT-themed discussions, featuring authors like Tony Kushner, Paul Monette, and Essex Hemphill. The bookshop's events calendar was always filled with exciting programming, from LGBT film screenings to LGBT art exhibitions, showcasing the work of artists like Felix Gonzalez-Torres and Gran Fury. The bookshop also partnered with other LGBT organizations to host larger events, such as the annual LGBT Pride March and the Gay Games, which were founded by Tom Waddell and Mark Brown.

● Closure and Legacy

The Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop closed its doors in 2009, after over four decades of serving the LGBT community. The bookshop's closure was met with sadness and nostalgia from the LGBT community, who remembered the bookshop as a vital hub for LGBT culture and LGBT activism. Despite its closure, the bookshop's legacy lives on, inspiring a new generation of LGBT activists and LGBT writers, including Sarah Schulman, Daisy Hernandez, and Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore. The bookshop's impact can also be seen in the many LGBT bookstores and LGBT organizations that it inspired, including the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division in New York City and the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco. Today, the bookshop's memory is honored by the LGBT community, which continues to celebrate its contributions to LGBT literature and LGBT culture, alongside other iconic institutions like the Stonewall National Monument and the Harvey Milk Plaza. Category:LGBT culture