“My history will show that I’m not against building towers on top of historical buildings if that’s what it takes to meet old and new Austin,” Commissioner Kevin Koch said. While the existing structures are not zoned historic, city staffers have flagged them as potentially significant. Plans include the reconstruction of buildings that are currently home to LGBTQ bars Coconut Club and Oilcan Harry’s, as well as the complete demolition of Neon Grotto (previously Hangar Lounge) to make way for an open-air plaza on the corner of Fourth and Colorado. to make room for the multi-use complex, which would consist of bottom-floor retail space supporting 400 residential units overhead. Houston-based Hanover Company intends to partially demolish structures at 201-213 W.
#GAY BARS AUSTIN 4TH STREET FULL#
“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.The Historic Landmark Commission’s architectural review committee hosted an unusually full conference room on Monday, as developers revealed their initial rendering of a 40-floor high-rise that would occupy the majority of a block in the center of Austin’s warehouse district. 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.