Pieces Saved

The 19-year-old gay bar Pieces has won the battle to stay put. The owner of the bar told Next Magazine, "We now have a multi-year lease from the building's owners. I wanted to get the word out that we’re open and not going anywhere.”


photo: New York

Pieces lost their lease last year so the building owner could "do a full-scale renovation of the three-story building, turning the upstairs floors into high-end apartments and the bar into upscale retail."

Pieces then tried to relocate to the Village Paper space, but they lost out to an upscale party restaurant. They then tried to move to West 8th Street, two doors from Gray's Papaya, but the Village neighbors vehemently opposed them. One woman at a CB meeting said that the bar was a magnet for "'private sex acts in doorways and basements' leaving behind a 'clutter of condoms' on the street." Pieces was denied.

The community spoke out in favor of saving Pieces and Michael Musto called it his "favorite hangout." He said it was "coming up against the usual 2011 prejudices, repressions, and challenges."


photo: New York

"Apparently," said Next, "the owners of the building took notice of the outpouring of support for the little gay bar that could and, in the end, decided to let it stay while postponing their renovations for a few more years."

As we add Pieces to the growing "Win" column, let's count it as a victory for a longtime piece of the Village against the forces of high-end apartments and upscale retail. That's one less Marc Jacobs/cupcake shop we have to contend with.