Gay bars austin 4th street

At the time, fewer thanpeople lived in the city, which was experiencing a prosperous economic and technological moment coming out of the Great Depression. Over on Congress Avenue, the Paramount Theatre had just placed the famous marquee over its canopy, and a little delicatessen down the street opened up called The Manhattan Restaurant.

The space, which held about 18 people, was one of the only public places where queer individuals could gather and socialize outside their homes. Before Florence could negotiate new lease terms, the landowner gave up the space to the company next door. So, after 12 years of operation, the club closed its doors.

Today, a handful of bars downtown still offer a safe space for queer residents and visitors. As Austin's population reaches nearly 1 million, the city is in need of more housing and better transportation options, which often comes at the expense of longtime businesses. Drag queens perform on a nightly basis, queer artists host DJ sets and, sometimes, people even gather to play bingo.

In April, news broke that a developer was eyeing part of the district for a new development. The proposal would tear down the buildings at Fourth and Colorado and build a story tower with residential units.

'More than four walls.' Demolition moves ahead for Austin LGBTQ bar the Iron Bear

Under the plan, Coconut Club and Neon Grotto—which opened on Colorado Street in andrespectively—would have to leave their current spots. The bars' owners told the Austin American-Statesman that their landlord has been transparent gay this possibility since the beginning. Their lease included a month evacuation notice and they've known for a while their time was ending.

Oilcan Harry's, however, will be allowed to stay under a new lease with Hanover. During construction, it will temporarily vacate the premises then move back in when the ground-floor work is complete. Construction on the high-rise would begin next year with a target opening date of May As is the case with any demolition proposal affecting buildings 45 years or older, the plan must undergo review by Austin's Historic Landmark Commission.

The proposal was presented last month to members of the commission's Architectural Review Committee to discuss whether the property should be evaluated for historical designation. The proposal will be presented to the austin commission today. If the commission approves the proposal and does not deem the property historical, the developers can move on in their steps to acquire a demolition permit.

If the commission decides the property may deserve historical designation, then plans will be put on hold. Development could be delayed or the case could be sent to the Planning Commission to weigh in on whether the building should be protected. The development plans sparked outrage in the queer community.

An Instagram 4th from Community Impact detailing the situation quickly received more than 3, comments. A petition to BlockTheBuild has acquired over 4, signatures. Sanchez has been going out on Fourth Street sincewhen he moved to Austin for college. After hearing about the proposed demolition, he created an Instagram bar to encourage people to take action.

Dozens of street have signed up to testify at the commission hearing today.