The front room of the Townhouse building is a cocktail lounge with architectural prints and soft background music, while the back room features a piano bar with nightly performances and open mic singing along with everybody sing-a-longs.[2][3] There is also a downstairs club room.[4] A conservative dress code is enforced compared to other gay bars.[1][5]
The bar's clientele has been described as a "well-educated, distinguished and cultured crowd" largely over 30.[3] Media outlets have characterized the bar as a place where younger men seek out sugar daddies.[1][6][7]
History
The Townhouse was established in 1989 by boutique shop owner Paul Galluccio and his partner Michael Grummons.[1][3] Galluccio was inspired to start his own bar after being denied entry to another establishment.[1] The venue was originally designed to offer a more sophisticated experience than other gay bars at the time, and to attract businessmen from Park and Madison Avenues.[3] In 2019, 30 years after the bar first opened, Galluccio and Grummons were still co-owners.[1][3][8] Galluccio died in 2021.[9]
The bar was the last location where two victims of serial killer Richard Rogers (also known as the Last Call Killer) were seen before their murders in 1991.[10] The victims were 54-year-old investment banker Peter Anderson and 57-year-old computer sales representative Thomas Mulcahy, both of whom were in New York City on business.[11]
In April 2020, longtime Townhouse pianist Rick Unterberg died of COVID-19 at the age of 61.[12][13][14]
