WEST PALM STRAND, Fla. – RAW VIDEO: HG Hane’s past, present and future of rebuilding
RAW VIDEO: HG Roosters’ past, present and future of rebuilding.
HG Roosters, the LBGTQ bar that had to close its doors due to a fire in May, seeks to preserve its history.
AJ Wasson, the owner of HG Roosters, is asking the city of West Palm Beach for a historic name for his bar for two reasons.
“They had some challenges from the point of view of zoning and buildings, where is the place where historic conservation comes in to benefit them,” said Friederike Mittner, a historic conservation planner for West Palm Beach.
The retention makes it possible to make deviations from Roosters during reconstruction and tax exemptions for improvements. But it will also preserve the important history for LGBTQs in the Palm Beaches.
“This is the oldest gay bar in the state of Florida,” said Julie Seaver, executive director of Compass.
Opened in 1965 as a gay bar, serving as a haven for gays in closed spaces.
“They could not be openly gay because they would be wiped out by the community,” Wasson said.
And to avoid hate crimes and harassment, they move down the entrance of the very busy Belvedere Road.
‘Gene puts in the side door [near the back], ”Says Wasson.
“If you walk to Roosters, you will be plagued by people driving by people passing by, and things will be thrown at you,” said Rick Rose, a Palm Beach historian and author.
“It also points to the historical nature of the windows. In a way, it might offer a certain sense of security,” Wasson said.
“It was our safe space, a safe haven for LGBT people to hang out and pray together and mourn the loss during the AIDS epidemic in the ’80s and early’ 90s,” Seaver said.
“It’s a wonderful historic site. It’s not an event for every building,” Mittner said.
“The legacy of this building dates back to the mid-1960s, which is the same as the Stone Wall Inn in New York,” Wasson pointed out.
Stone Wall is the place where the gay rights movement started.
“The police raided bars because they were gay,” Seaver said.
This then led to riots in New York.
“We’ve never been just a business. We’re part of the community,” Wasson said.
“[Roosters] has raised money for numerous organizations, ”Rose said.
“We want to emphasize the contributions to the community from a philanthropic point of view and, of course, a social justice issue,” Mittner said.
“We do not want it to be history that is over. We want to keep Hane,” Wasson said.
To get the historical name, there are still some obstacles to jump over. First, they must go before the historic council on February 23rd. Then they go before city commissioners in March and April where the benchmark is expected to pass.
With the local designation, they will join about 50 other historic sites in West Palm Beach.