When it opened in 2009, Manifesto heralded the return of speakeasy culture to modern times.
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You don’t need a password to get in, but you do need the intel. Here are a list of bars that tend to fly under the radar. There are a few places well-known for recreating the spirit of the era: Manifesto, which opened in 2009, was among the first to pick up on the speakeasy revival, and Swordfish Tom’s and PS Speakeasy (secret wall panel in the Hotel Phillips lobby) followed in 2017. “Unfortunately, this individual demolition permit has been caught up in a larger discussion of Austin and where and how the city can maintain its growth without destroying current gay safe spaces and what the city’s plans are when it comes to providing an area for those safe spaces,” Beshear wrote.Kansas City thrived under Prohibition, with dozens of speakeasies serving booze behind hidden doors and through tucked-away tunnels. The commission voted to release the permit.īenny Beshear, owner of the Iron Bear, sent a letter to the commission before the meeting, saying that he opposed historic zoning and supported the owner’s permit for demolition. No one spoke in opposition to the demolition. A supermajority of nine commissioners was needed to recommend historic zoning for the property, and only eight were present. Opponents of that demolition proposal also had given stirring testimony about its importance to the LGBTQ community. The building dates to 1919 and had once been home to an ice cream factory.īut on Wednesday evening, that momentum appeared to evaporate. Sixth St., currently home to the Iron Bear. The scene was reminiscent of the commission's March meeting, when historic zoning was initiated for 301 W. More Austin LGBTQ news: What it was like when masked cowboy Orville Peck rode into a sold-out Stubb's in Austin I think Austin has the opportunity here to set the precedent," Rhe said. "The really unique, important space that Coconut Club occupies brings in community value that is not going to be defined by law. "I may not be able to live here anymore," Myers said.Īlissa Rhe, a 28-year-old who has lived in Austin for three years, told the commission how much the West Fourth Street bars mean to queer people of color. Myers referenced reports about how many musicians can't afford to live in the Live Music Capital of the World anymore and confessed that she has felt the sting of property appraisals. Some opponents also voiced concern about luxury high-rises pushing out the people and places that make Austin weird. "We have the opportunity to make development and history work together," said Michelle Rogerson Lynch, speaking on behalf of the demolition applicants. She cautioned that historic preservation actions would not guarantee that LGBTQ businesses would remain in those spaces in the long term. You know in your hearts this is cynical, and this is not preservation." "If you tear down these buildings, the income to Austin will be severely diminished in the future," he said. "Once everything is a big super-building, no building is super. Parkes, a 52-year-old design director at Deloitte, was teary after he spoke. "Facades are not buildings," said Titus Parkes, criticizing developers' assertion that the project would maintain the district's existing character. "These buildings are about the insides, as well." He urged the commission not to let good intentions lead to the bar closing its doors, citing ongoing affordability concerns.Įighteen people spoke in opposition to West Fourth Street demolition. Many decried the continued displacement of local businesses to high-dollar redevelopment, while most cited the neighborhood as a lifeline for the LGBTQ community with decades of history.Įzra Jacobs, a 20-year-old University of Texas student wearing a rainbow-colored headband, called West Fourth Street a church for the gay community, crediting RuPaul for the concept.Īs person after person spoke in opposition, some via phone, the crowd snapped and clapped. "Oilcan Harry's will not be able to stay on Fourth if the building is deemed historic," Scott Neal, managing member for the bar, said at Wednesday's meeting. Owners of all three bars told the American-Statesman last month that they are not fighting the demolition. Only Oilcan Harry’s would move back into the ground floor of the tower, with subsidized rent and a 25-year lease, according to the bar and the developer.