Lesbian Herstory Archives
also known as The Archives and The Lesbian Herstory Educational Foundation, Inc. (formal name)
overview
Founded in 1974, the Lesbian Herstory Archives was first housed on the Upper West Side of Manhattan before opening its current Park Slope, Brooklyn, location in 1993.
The volunteer-based Archives, which also serves as a museum and community center, has one of the world’s largest collection of records “by and about lesbians and their communities.”
The NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project’s advocacy led to the site’s designation as a New York City Landmark by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2022.
Group of Lesbian Herstory Archives coordinators at the opening of the Archives' new location in Brooklyn, 1993. Photo © Morgan Gwenwald. Courtesy of the Lesbian Herstory Archives.
June 1992 newsletter celebrating the opening of the new Brooklyn location. Courtesy of the Lesbian Herstory Archives.
Archives coordinators gathering on the stoop in front of the new Brooklyn location, 1993. Photo © Saskia Scheffer. Courtesy of the Lesbian Herstory Archives.
Archives members Joan Nestle, Paula Grant, Judith Schwarz, Polly Thistlethwaite, and others marching through Park Slope, Brooklyn during the opening of the new Archives, 1993. Photo © Saskia Scheffer. Source: Joan Nestle, "Don't Stop Talking 2" blog.
Living room and library of the current Lesbian Herstory Archives. Source: Unabridged Chick website.
Mabel Hampton, Joan Nestle, Deborah Edel, and Judith Schwarz (sitting) in the original Upper West Side location of the Lesbian Herstory Archives, c. 1979. Source: Joan Nestle, "Don't Stop Talking 2" blog.
Bookshelves of the Lesbian Herstory Archives at its original Upper West Side location, 1979. Source: Joan Nestle, "Don't Stop Talking 2" blog.
Deborah Edel, Mabel Hampton, Joan Nestle, and other Archives members during a gay pride march, 1980s. Source: Joan Nestle, "Don't Stop Talking 2" blog.
Deborah Edel and Mabel Hampton carry the Archives banner during a gay pride march, 1980s. Source: Joan Nestle, "Don't Stop Talking 2" blog.
History
In 1974, the Lesbian Herstory Archives was established in order to preserve lesbian heritage in a world where, according to its website, “so much of our past culture was seen only through patriarchal eyes.” It was co-founded by Joan Nestle, Deborah Edel, Julia Stanley, Sahli Cavallaro, and Pamela Oline. Mabel Hampton was also an important early member. The Archives was housed in Nestle’s Upper West Side residence at 215 West 92nd Street, apartment 13A, where it would remain for the next 18 years.
By the mid-1980s, the Archives was outgrowing its space. Following grassroots fundraising, the group bought a Park Slope rowhouse at 484 14th Street on December 12, 1991, and officially re-opened in June 1993. The purchase ensured that the Archives would have a permanent space, which continues to serve the lesbian community today.
Most people would throw everything out about lesbians, or only keep the negative things. … But the Archives house the collective memory of what happened to us as a group.
The Archives is home to one of the most complete collections of material on lesbians and their communities, emphasizing the historical significance of the records of lesser-known women. Its holdings include such items as rare lesbian/feminist periodicals, lesbian pulp fiction novels, oral histories, files for lesbian activist and community groups, and 11,000 books by and about lesbians from the 19th century to the present. Now included within its holdings is the library of the New York chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis; its website notes that “While we have most of these books in our own collection we keep them together…because they represent what an early lesbian organization felt should be available to its members.”
The volunteer-run organization is, according to Deborah Edel in a 2009 interview, “…a home for all the memories of our struggles and victories, as well as the celebrations of lesbian life.” It also serves as a museum and community center. The Archives has been a long-time participant in the NYC Pride March, the Brooklyn Pride March, and the NYC Dyke March.
Landmark Designations for LGBT Significance
In November 2022, based on recommendations by the Project, the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated the Lesbian Herstory Archives a New York City Landmark. The LPC designation report and Project testimony are available in the “Read More” section below.
Entry by Amanda Davis, project manager (March 2017; last revised November 2022).
NOTE: Names above in bold indicate LGBT people.
Building Information
- Architect or Builder: Axel Hedman
- Year Built: 1908
Sources
“A Permanent Home,” Morgan Gwenwald, bit.ly/2FUgZSM.
Christopher D. Brazee, Gale Harris, and Jay Shockley, “150 Years of LGBT History,” New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, 2014.
Deborah Edel, co-founder of the Lesbian Herstory Archives.
“History,” Lesbian Herstory Archives, bit.ly/2fgHdA2.
Winnie McCroy, “Lesbian Herstory Archives Turns 35,” Edge Media Network, February 5, 2009, bit.ly/2fm2HIh. [source of pull quote and Deborah Edel quote]
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