University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Theses (Historic Preservation) Graduate Program in Historic Preservation 2015 Throwing Open the Door: Preserving Philadelphia's Gay Bathhouses Grey Pierce University of Pennsylvania Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/hp_theses Part of the Gender and Sexuality Commons, Historic Preservation and Conservation Commons, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons, and the Social Welfare Commons Pierce, Grey, "Throwing Open the Door: Preserving Philadelphia's Gay Bathhouses" (2015). Theses (Historic Preservation). 579. https://repository.upenn.edu/hp_theses/579 Suggested Citation: Pierce, Grey (2015). Throwing Open the Door: Preserving Philadelphia's Gay Bathhouses. (Masters Thesis). University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/hp_theses/579 For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Throwing Open the Door: Preserving Philadelphia's Gay Bathhouses Abstract In 2014 the National Park Service called for increased preservation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender places in the United States, thereby legitimizing LGBT history on a national level. This thesis is an extension of that appeal and undertakes a study of the preservation of gay bathhouses in an urban landscape. More specifically, it investigates the geographic and architectural significance of gay bathhouses between the early twentieth century and present day. Using the City of Philadelphia as a case study, the thesis explains the cultural and political trends that created the geography and history of the Philadelphia bathhouses. Utilizing quantitative and qualitative data, archival research, and an original survey, the thesis concludes that bathhouses are important to the landscape of gay neighborhoods and that their architecture highlights invaluable narratives of gay life in American history.