History & landmarks / West Side (site demolished)
Ruth Ellis and the “Gay Spot”
Closed – archive entry · 1971
The West Side home of Ruth Ellis and her partner Babe Franklin, a refuge for Black gay and lesbian Detroiters until it was demolished in 1971.
01 / The story of this place
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Ruth Ellis, who came out as a lesbian in 1915 and lived to 101, moved to Detroit in 1937 with her partner, Ceciline “Babe” Franklin. Their West Side home, known as the “gay spot,” became a refuge and party space for Black gay and lesbian Detroiters. From the same house they ran Ellis & Franklin Printing, described as the first woman-owned print shop in Michigan. The house was demolished in 1971 during urban renewal, but Ellis's legacy lives on: she was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 2009, and the Ruth Ellis Center carries her name.
- Documentary “Living With Pride: Ruth C. Ellis @ 100”
- Michigan Women's Hall of Fame (2009)
- Legacy Walk inductee (2013)
Sources & fact check · Checked: 2026-09-25
An independently written bilingual guide. This collection is not an attendance-based ranking.
03 / Events
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