Originally constructed between 1843 and 1846 as stables, the property was turned into a restaurant in 1930. It remained a restaurant until it was gutted by fire in the mid 1960s. On April 21, 1966, members of the Mattachine Society staged a "Sip-In" a block northeast of Stonewall at Julius Bar in which they challenged a New York State Liquor Authority rule that said homosexuals could not be served alcohol because they were considered "disorderly." A court ruling was to say that homosexuals could peacefully assemble.