The Spike was a gay bar on Eleventh Avenue by the West Side Highway in New York City. It was one of the prominent spots in the NYC gay scene during the 1980s and early 1990s.  It was located at 120 West 11th Avenue at 20th Street, and was known for its S&M clientele.  It operated from 1974 to 2000.  The Spike was a classic “S&M” bar — in this context meaning “Standing and Modelling.” It had an ultra-butch veneer, and for varying periods on Saturday nights one of its two rooms was sometimes cordoned off exclusively for men in black leather attire.  The gay publication Homo Xtra (later known as HX) once described the Spike as “a good place to discuss opera with people dressed as generals.”  The Spike was one of the prominent leather bars of the era, competing alongside other legendary venues like The Eagle and The Mineshaft in the NYC gay leather scene.  It was eventually closed to make way for the gentrification of far west Chelsea.  The neighborhood transformed dramatically in the early 2000s with the development of the High Line and surrounding areas. The Spike is remembered fondly by many as a piece of NYC’s pre-gentrification queer history.
