Leon’s, Baltimore’s oldest gay bar in Mount Vernon, reopens after summer closure
Leon's — a neighborhood fixture since the 1950s — will reopen this week after closing in July following the death of longtime owner Ron Singer.
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Leon's opened in the 1950s in Mount Vernon and served as a discreet gathering place for LGBTQ people through eras when same-sex activity was criminalized.
The bar closed in July after the death of owner Ron Singer and is scheduled to reopen on Wednesday, restoring regular events like karaoke and trivia.
Regular patrons remember Leon’s for heavy-handed pours, packed nights, and community traditions that helped people find social and emotional support.
The useful part
Baltimore's oldest gay bar to reopen this week Connect with us Leon's, the oldest gay bar in Mount Vernon, will reopen Wednesday. Baltimore's oldest gay bar, which opened in the 1950s, closed in July following the death of its owner, Ron Singer. (Courtesy of Cathy Bowers) By WESLEY CASE | Charles "Chuck" Bowers, former owner of the storied Baltimore gay club the Hippo and a prominent advocate for Maryland's LGBTQ community, died Tuesday.
How it works
- "He truly tried to make the Hippo a place for everybody — a safe space," said an emotional Rik Newton-Treadway, who befriended his "mentor" Bowers at the club in 1979.
- Bowers, of Mount Vernon, died Tuesday evening in Baltimore of natural causes, said his niece, Cathy Bowers.
- (Photo courtesy of Baltimore Safe Haven) By DARREONNA DAVIS | Denise Johnson imagined spending Sunday with her daughter, Sophie Lee, eating crabs at the park.
- Instead, she stood on a Barclay street corner Sunday evening surrounded by nearly 100 people who came to remember her daughter, a transgender woman who was fatally shot there Friday.
- The 27-year-old woman was found in the 2400 block of North Calvert Street around 1:15 a.m.
What to take from it
Lindsey Eldridge, a police department spokesperson, said it's unclear if her identity had anything to do with her death and the investigation is ongoing. From left, Leon's staffers Stacey Antoine, Karen O'Donnell, Joseph Leloudis, Damon Wallace, Brandon Gruszczynski, Tina Wallace, Sanchez Sanders, Cade Granger, Adam David Bencomo, and Sam Smith. In the dark, smoky bar, men used pseudonyms for fear of being outed, as homosexual acts were illegal in Maryland.
Example or evidence
- He could explore his identity, connect with other gay men and build community in the anxious years before the 1969 Stonewall uprising, a pivotal moment in the LGBTQ rights movement.
- Continue Reading Baltimore Transgender woman killed in Barclay community mourned by friends, advocates Sophie Lee shot to death on Friday morning Published 2 weeks ago on September 14, 2026 By Baltimore...
- Continue Reading Baltimore The fight to save one of Baltimore's last gay bars Leon's closed in July after its owner's death Published 1 month ago on August 25, 2026 By Baltimore Banner Leon's opened in...
- Supreme Court 1 day ago Trump asks Supreme Court to allow restrictions on gender-affirming care in prisons Television 5 days ago 'Star Trek:
Details worth keeping
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner's website. Bowers turned the Mount Vernon club — located at the corner of North Charles and West Eager streets — into a judgment-free refuge for queer and straight locals looking to find and express their authentic selves on a packed dance floor. Friday, Baltimore Police said in a news release.
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