Mary's was bought by Jim "Fanny" Farmer in 1970, with Cliff Owens becoming co-owner sometime in the late 1970s. ![]() Joe Anthony had bought the property, which was a bar named Tommy's, and refurbished it into Mary's. Montrose was at that time becoming a prominent gayborhood in Houston, and was the first gay bar to open on a main road, as well as to have windows. ![]() Mary's was opened in 1970 at the corner of Westheimer and Waugh Drive in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston, Texas. Mary's became a landmark and catered to virtually every aspect of the LGBT community. A statue of an angel, which had been there since the early days of the bar and which artist Steve Swoveland restored, stood inside Mary's and became a centerpiece for those paying their respects to the victims of the crisis. Mary's also included a backyard patio and garden, known as the Outback, that had been planted in remembrance of HIV/AIDS victims the profits from vegetables grown in this garden, along with drag queen tips, were often donated to charity. ![]() Mary's included a jukebox and its bar tops were decorated with pictures of its patrons. Early advertisements also referred to the bar as "Mary's, Naturally". In its early days, Mary's employed go-go boys, and originally featured a neon sign that read "Mary's Lounge" in the front of the building, which was gone by 1979.
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