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Raids were frequent, and patrons faced jail time and public humiliation when their name, occupation, and address appeared in newspapers the next day. Visiting these bars was a high-risk activity. During this time, when homosexuality was criminalized and it was even against the law for two men to dance together, the bars provided a meeting place for LGBTQ people who were otherwise isolated. The post-World War II era heralded the opening of many more bars, catering to the independent men and women who had moved to the bustling port city for military jobs. The earliest example of a gay bar in San Diego came in the 1957, when straight ally Lou Arko bought the popular lunch club of the 1930's, the Brass Rail, and extended it into a meeting spot for gay people at night. Directed and produced by Paul Detwiler, the film has been released on the city's PBS station, KPBS. The reinvented Lei Lounge, which still doesn’t have a new name, should open by the end of summer.The new documentary San Diego's Gay Bar History surveys some of the 135 bars that have existed in the city and chronicles the various aspects of the LGBTQ community that have grown within them. Taking into consideration the costs of acquiring the Bourbon Street business and the renovation, Pani said he expects to spend $1.5 million on Park & Rec. But rather than park their trucks outside the business, they’ll deliver their specialties within the bar. While the focus of Park & Rec will be creative craft cocktails designed by beverage consultants Revelry Cocktail Co., the venue will also serve food, with regularly rotating menus prepared by various street food vendors coming from the world of food trucks and farmers markets, Pani said.
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In acquiring Bourbon Street, Pani also took over the former Lei Lounge space, but he hasn’t decided yet what the new concept will be, although he will likely partner with someone to develop it as a family-friendly restaurant, he said. Our perspective is, cater to the neighborhood.” “This will be a neighborhood bar, and the neighborhood is very diverse. “We won’t be catering to any age or any sexual affiliation,” said Pani, who also owns Hotel Vyvant, a 23-room boutique property in Little Italy. Instead, it will move in a direction that many gay-oriented establishments have increasingly embraced, catering to a broader demographic from the neighborhoods in which they’re located. What Park & Rec won’t be is a gay-centric bar, says Pani.
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The facades won’t be altered, but the solid front doors will be replaced with glass to give the bar a more-open feel.īecause Pani’s takeover of the business came with a live entertainment license, which, as he points out, is not an easy license to acquire, there will be plenty of outdoor music, drawing from different genres to suit a wide variety of tastes.
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While the new cocktail bar won’t retain the New Orleans-style design aesthetic of its predecessor, it will feature nods to the past, including incorporating dark woods and brass elements more typical of a classic bar of 50 years ago, as well as old crystal windows and stained glass found on the property. “This will be an adult backyard experience.” “Given the name, the experience we’re aiming for is really one of a neighborhood place, like you’re walking out your front door in University Heights and walking over to a friend’s house, where you might have a couple beers and play Ping-Pong, hanging out in the backyard,” said Pani, whose North Park restaurant, Waypoint Public, has a dedicated indoor play area for kids. Scheduled to reopen in May before Memorial Day weekend, the reinvented venue will retain the early 1900s-era bungalows that had housed Bourbon Street Bar & Grill since it opened in the late 1980s, but its craft cocktail program and pop-up dining menus will be very much in keeping with today’s hip food and beverage scene. The new Park & Rec, as it’s being called, will play off the Park Boulevard property’s extensive outdoor courtyard space that owner John Pani plans on heavily landscaping and outfitting with comfortable park-like seating, along with table games like Ping-Pong and shuffleboard. The now-shuttered Bourbon Street, a longtime University Heights watering hole and well-known gay bar, is undergoing a major transformation that its new owner hopes will be as inviting as spending an afternoon or evening hanging out in a neighbor’s backyard.