Man's Country was a chain of bathhouses and private clubs for

gay men Gay men are male homosexuals. Some bisexual men, bisexual and homoromantic men may dually identify as ''gay'' and a number of gay men also identify as ''queer''. Historic terminology for gay men has included ''Sexual inversion (sexology), in ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Man's Country/Chicago opened at 5015–5017 North Clark Street in Chicago on September 19, 1973, and held the title of Chicago's longest-running gay bathhouse when it closed in 2017. Less is known about Man's Country/New York, located at 28 West 15th Street (originally 53-55 Pierrepont Street), which closed in 1983.

History

Chicago

Man's Country/Chicago was the third bathhouse co-founded by

Chuck Renslow Charles "Chuck" Renslow (August 26, 1929 – June 29, 2017) was an American businessman, known for pioneering homoerotic male photography in the mid-20th-century US, and establishing many landmarks of late-20th-century gay culture and leather cult ...

—a pioneering figure in Chicago's gay community—whose previous two clubs were forced to shut down due to

homophobia Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who identify or are perceived as being lesbian, Gay men, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred, or ant ...

-fueled pressure from the

police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

. Before opening Man's Country/Chicago, Renslow co-founded a Chicago location of the

Club Baths Club Baths was a chain of gay bathhouses in the United States and Canada with particular prominence from the 1960s through the 1990s. At its peak it included 42 bathhouses: Akron, Atlanta, Atlantic City, Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Camden, Chic ...

chain with Chuck Fleck. Man's Country was not only a bathhouse but also a concert venue, dance club, community space, gym, and sex club. Renslow and his partner Dom Orejudos purchased the building on Clark Street in 1972 and performed significant renovations to convert it into Man's Country. The three-story complex included a steam room, whirlpool hot tub, and sauna in the basement; a ballroom with a 30-foot ceiling and stage (part of the building's original design as a lodge for a Swedish social club); 26 private rooms; two lounges; a sundeck; a weight room; a juice bar; and various

kink KINK (101.9 FM also known as kink.fm) is a commercial radio station in Portland, Oregon. It is owned by Alpha Media and it airs an adult album alternative radio format. KINK's studios and offices are on Southwest 5th Avenue in the PacWest C ...

play areas for cruising, including

glory hole A glory hole (also spelled gloryhole and glory-hole) is a hole in a wall or partition, often between public toilet cubicles, public shower cubicles or sex video arcade booths and lounges, for people to engage in sexual activity or to observe ...

rooms. Its basement wet area was designed to look like the

Paris sewers The sanitary sewer, sewers of Paris date back to the year 1370 when the first underground system was constructed under Rue Montmartre. Consecutive French governments enlarged the system to cover the city's population, including expansions under L ...

. The club's popularity peaked in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Rudolf Nureyev Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev (17 March 19386 January 1993) was a Soviet-born ballet dancer and choreographer. Nureyev is widely regarded as the preeminent male ballet dancer of his generation as well as one of the greatest ballet dancers of all ...

and

Wayland Flowers Wayland Parrott Flowers Jr. (November 26, 1939 – October 11, 1988) was an American actor, comedian and puppeteer. Flowers was best known for the comedy act he created with his puppet Madame. His performances as "Wayland Flowers and Madam ...

are among several famous patrons. Business declined as the HIV/AIDS crisis began to devastate the gay community in the mid-1980s. Renslow implemented numerous safety measures, including closing the orgy room and glory holes; distributing condoms and

safe sex Safe sex is sexual activity using methods or contraceptive devices (such as condoms) to reduce the risk of transmitting or acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs), especially HIV. "Safe sex" is also sometimes referred to as safer ...

literature; and coordinating with the Chicago Department of Public Health. A dance club was added in 1987, but as the AIDS crisis subsided, patrons increasingly frequented Man's Country for sex rather than dancing or socializing. Famous entertainers who performed at the club include

Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, model and actress. She began her Model (person), modelling career in New York State, then in Paris, working for fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent (brand), Yves St ...

Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer-songwriter and DJ who rose to fame as the lead singer of the pop band Culture Club. He began his solo career in 1987. Boy George grew up in Eltham a ...

, Charles Pierce, the

Village People Village People is an American disco group known for its on-stage costumes and suggestive lyrics in their music. The group was originally formed by French producers Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo and lead singer Victor Willis following the re ...

, Viola Wills,

Pamela Stanley Pamela Margaret Stanley (6 September 1909 – 30 June 1991) was a British actress who appeared in a number of stage and film roles in Britain and the United States; the role with which she became most identified with was that of Queen Victoria. ...

Bette Midler Bette Midler ( ;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and author. Throughout her five-decade career Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Bette Midler, numero ...

Barry Manilow Barry Manilow ( ; born Barry Alan Pincus on June 17, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer with a career that spans over sixty years. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", "Looks Like We Made It", "Brandy (Scott ...

The Manhattan Transfer The Manhattan Transfer was an American vocal group founded in 1969 in New York City, performing music genres like a cappella, Brazilian jazz, Swing music, swing, vocalese, rhythm and blues, Pop music, pop, and standards. They have won eleven G ...

Sally Rand Sally Rand (born Helen Gould Beck; April 3, 1904 – August 31, 1979) was an American burlesque dancer, stripper, vedette, and actress, famous for her ostrich-feather fan dance and balloon bubble dance. She also performed under the name B ...

Divine Divinity (from Latin ) refers to the quality, presence, or nature of that which is divine—a term that, before the rise of monotheism, evoked a broad and dynamic field of sacred power. In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a singl ...

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, and

Bruce Vilanch Bruce Gerald Vilanch (born November 23, 1947) is an American comedy writer, songwriter, and actor. He is a two-time Emmy Award-winner. Vilanch is best known to the public for his four-year stint on ''Hollywood Squares'', as a celebrity participa ...

. In the early 2010s the club stopped generating a profit, which the owners attributed to the cost of increasing property taxes, insurance, and deferred maintenance. The club was put up for sale in 2016 but failed to attract a buyer. After Renslow died in June 2017, the decision was made to close at the end of the year. A raucous 13-hour party called "Loose Ends" was held on New Year's Eve 2018 to celebrate the club and mark its closure. At Renslow's request, much of Man's Country's artwork and memorabilia, including murals by Orejudos (widely known by his

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

Etienne), was transferred to the

Leather Archives & Museum The Leather Archives & Museum (LA&M) is a community archives, library, and museum located in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Chuck Renslow and Tony DeBlase in 1991, its mission is making “leather, kink, BDSM, a ...

. The building was demolished in 2019 and replaced with a nine-unit condo building named The Renslow in his honor.

New York

Chuck Fleck opened the first Man's Country bathhouse in New York City before co-founding Man's Country/Chicago with Renslow. Man's Country/New York's precise opening date is unclear, but '' The Gay Blade'' ran an advertisement for the "brand new" bathhouse in June 1972. The bathhouse originally occupied three floors at 53-55 Pierrepont Street in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. By 1978 it had relocated to 28 West 15th Street in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, where it occupied ten floors of a narrow building, leading to the marketing slogan "ten floors of fantasy." Amenities included the ''truck stop,'' a "full-sized red tractor-trailer cab hat...was mostly the site of a continuous orgy;" the ''jail tank'', a mock holding cell; a Jacuzzi; and a restaurant called the ''Meet Rack''. The bathhouse also advertised its ''Satyr gym club'', rental lockers, and "low prices at all times." Man's Country/New York once hosted a performance by the

New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground, the MC5, and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved ...

. The bathhouse famously rented two large billboards above Hess triangle at 7th Avenue and

Christopher Street Christopher Street is a street in the West Village neighborhood of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is the continuation of 9th Street west of Sixth Avenue. It is most notable for the Stonewall Inn, which is located on Christopher St ...

that attracted photographers including Bettye Lane. In 1978, Michael Rehak, a blind man, was refused entry by staff concerned that his blindness could constitute a safety risk in the event of a fire or other emergency. Rehak filed a complaint with the City Commission on Human Rights. Man's Country/New York settled the case in 1980, agreeing not to discriminate against blind individuals and awarding Rehak a cash payment. According to Renslow, the New York and Chicago locations were managed separately and he was not involved in operating the New York bathhouse. However, a joint advertisement for both locations published in ''Little David'' magazine and '' Chicago Gay Crusader'' in 1974 suggests some degree of shared management, at least initially. Fleck later sold his stake in Man's Country/Chicago to Renslow. Man's Country/New York closed in 1983 during the AIDS crisis.

Cultural impact and legacy

* Man's Country/New York used its platform to advocate on behalf of the LGBTQ community, sometimes plastering its billboards with the messages "

GAY RIGHTS Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Not ...

" and "REGISTER & VOTE," as seen i
this 1978 photograph.
* A closet at Man's Country/New York once served as the headquarters of the Gay & Lesbian Switchboard of New York. * At Renslow's request, much of Man's Country's artwork and memorabilia, including murals by Orejudos (widely known by his

Etienne), was transferred to the

. The Leather Archives & Museum was loaned a

from Man's Country/Chicago in June 2019. One of its neon signs is in the collection of the Museum of Neon Art. * On May 25, 2018, the

Chicago City Council The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the Law and government of Chicago, government of the Chicago, City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 50 alderpersons elected from 50 Wards of the United States, wards to serve four-year t ...

voted to designate the eastern stretch of Clark Street between Winnemac Ave and Ainslie Ave—the historic location of Man's Country/Chicago, the Gold Coast, and other businesses owned by Renslow—as "Chuck Renslow Way".

In popular culture

* Man's Country/New York frequently advertised on

Channel J Manhattan Cable Television's Channel J was a Public-access television, public-access television channel broadcast from New York City from 1976 to 1990. It became famous and controversial for its lack of censorship and its depiction of marginalize ...

's ''The'' ''Emerald City,'' the self-proclaimed "world's first television show for gay men and women." (
recording of one of its commercials
is available online.) * The 2012 film '' Scrooge & Marley'' was filmed in part at Man's Country/Chicago. * In the 2014 film ''

The Normal Heart ''The Normal Heart'' is a largely autobiographical play by Larry Kramer. It focuses on the rise of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in New York City between 1981 and 1984, as seen through the eyes of writer/activist Ned Weeks, the gay founder of a promi ...

'', Ned and Felix first meet at Man's Country/New York.

Matt Bomer Matthew Staton Bomer ( ; born October 11, 1977) is an American actor. His works have earned him accolades including a Golden Globe Award and a Critics' Choice Television Award, in addition to nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards. Bomer m ...

and

Mark Ruffalo Mark Alan Ruffalo (; born November 22, 1967) is an American actor. He began acting in the late 1980s and first gained recognition for his work in Kenneth Lonergan's play ''This Is Our Youth'' (1996) and drama film ''You Can Count on Me'' (2000) ...

take part in a recreation of
real-life commercial
for the bathhouse.

External links

"28 Photos of Gay Bathhouse History in Chicago,"
''The Advocate''
Man's Country/Chicago website

Leather Archives & Museum

References

{{Portal bar, LGBTQ, Chicago, Human sexuality, New York City LGBTQ culture in Chicago 1973 establishments in Illinois 2017 disestablishments in Illinois Gay bathhouses in the United States 1973 in LGBTQ history LGBTQ history in Chicago History of gay men in the United States LGBTQ history in New York City Gay bathhouses in New York City 1972 establishments in New York City LGBTQ studies Gay culture in Illinois