Iconic Former Greenwich Village Cafe And Theater To Get Honored

WEST VILLAGE, NY — A former cafe and theater in Greenwich Village that is credited for starting the off-Broadway and gay theater scene in New York City will be honored next week with a plaque unveiling.

Caffe Cino operated for a decade from 1958 to 1968 and was owned by Joe Cino, an openly gay man who used the theater venue to begin what is considered the birthplace of Off-Off-Broadway.

The plaque unveiling will take place on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. at 31 Cornelia St., which is now home to Bombay Bistro. The date would have been Cino's 91st birthday.

"That the Caffe Cino is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is, in a way, a confirmation that the magical, theatrical incubator once existed, and the creator of the room, Joe Cino, really existed," Magie Dominic, a Caffe Cino alum and Lower Manhattan historian, told Patch. "I will remember that tiny magical room with its tremendous creativity, will see it all in my mind forever. The Caffe Cino shaped who I am, and will forever be."

"That tiny room at 31 Cornelia St. gave me my sense of the world," she added.

Caffe Cino has significance as a pioneer in the development of gay theater, during a time when it was illegal to depict homosexuality on stage.

In 2017, it was listed on the New York State Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places for its significance in LGBTQ history. In 2019, the Landmarks Preservation Commission designated it an NYC landmark.

You can find out more about the plaque unveiling on the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project's website.