Elaine Lillian Romagnoli (April 22, 1942 – October 28, 2021) was an American businesswoman and community leader. She founded and ran successful restaurants and lesbian bars, including Bonnie & Clyde's, The Cubby Hole, and Crazy Nanny's in New York City.
Elaine Romagnoli | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 22, 1942 |
| Died | October 28, 2021 (aged 79) New York City |
| Occupation(s) | Businesswoman, community leader |
| Years active | 1972-2004 |
Early life
editRomagnoli was born in Englewood, New Jersey, the daughter of August (Gus) Romagnoli and Claire Ines Fiorina Romagnoli, and raised in nearby Palisades Park.[1][2]
Career
editRomagnoli became a well-known figure in New York's West Village neighborhood in 1972 as hostess of Bonnie & Clyde's, a lesbian bar owned by Louis Corso;[3] she welcomed a celebrity clientele including Gloria Steinem and Yoko Ono, and held fundraisers and other community events. After Bonnie & Clyde's closed, she opened the Cubby Hole in 1983; Stormé DeLarverie was the Cubby Hole's bouncer for a time.[4] She also ran a restaurant, Bonnie's by the Bay, in New Suffolk, and a tapas bar called Sunset Strip. In 1991, all of her 1980s businesses had ended,[5] and she opened another bar, Crazy Nanny's.[6] She sold Crazy Nanny's in 2004, just before she retired.[1]
Romagnoli was active in the North Fork Women for Women Fund on the East End of Long Island, NY; during her term as its president in 2000, the organization held North Fork's first Gay Pride Dance at a vineyard, Castello de Borghese.[7]
Personal life
editRomagnoli died in 2021,[8] aged 79 years, at her home in New York City.[1] Her memorial service was held at the Stonewall Inn.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b c Carmel, Julia (2021-11-08). "Elaine Romagnoli, Longtime Fixture of Lesbian Nightlife, Dies at 79". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
- ^ "Romagnoli". The Record. 2009-11-10. pp. L5. Retrieved 2022-05-31 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Crawford, Phillip Jr. (2022-04-07). "Elaine Romagnoli Apparently Was Not the Owner of New York City Lesbian Bar Bonnie and Clyde". Medium. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
- ^ Sparacino, Gia (2021-12-09). "Lesbian Bar Legend Elaine Romagnoli Passes, Queer Spaces Die With Her". Medium. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
- ^ Reyes, Nina (December 26, 1990). "Landmark Lesbian Bar Shuts Its Doors for Good". OutWeek: 18 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Crazy Nanny's". NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
- ^ Weisman, Leslie Kanes (2014-04-09). "History of the North Fork Women For Women Fund". North Fork Women. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
- ^ Wolfe, Kathi (2021-12-30). "In memoriam: Remembering queer lives lost in 2021". Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
- ^ Recchio, Tom (2021-11-18). "Elaine Romagnoli, a Queer Pioneer and Legend, 79". The Provincetown Independent. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
External links
edit- Gwendolyn Stegall, A Spatial History of Lesbian Bars in New York City (master's thesis, Columbia University, May 2019).