San Antonio's Bonham Exchange goes dark amid fire code fallout

The Bonham Exchange says it will be back in time for its annual Fiesta day party. Still, it is not quite the timeline it had hoped. The owners say upgrades mandated by the city’s fire code will pull the plug on San Antonio’s oldest LGBTQ+ bar for four to five months.

The temporary closure, beginning August 1, is the culmination of a battle spurred by a 2018 ordinance that sought to bring the city’s entertainment venues up to international fire code standards. The city gave businesses five years to comply with the rules, but enforcement was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Bonham — along with Club 727, Heat Nightclub, Industry Nightclub, I-10 Icehouse, Nuevo Volcan, and Paper Tiger — was one of seven bars that failed to install automatic fire sprinklers, a requirement for any venue with 300-plus occupancy that serves alcohol.

Tempers flare
The issue came to a head in February when three council members — Dr. Sukh Kaur (D1), Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2), and Teri Castillo (D5) — called for a February vote to extend the city deadline for the Bonham, the only venue not to sign an interim city agreement that allowed clubs to keep operating at limited capacity. At the time, Bonham management argued that the drastically reduced occupancy would cause the nightclub to shutter, and the $550,000 price tag for a new sprinkler system was too much to immediately bear.

On February 5, a closed-session meeting pushed the extension vote to February 12. Later the same day, Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones announced to reporters that a deal had been struck with Bonham to help it remain open and pledged to help the club raise money.

Things were allegedly more contentious behind the scenes. According to the San Antonio Current, Bonham's general manager Joan Duckworth left Council Chambers that day nearly in tears. A behind-the-scenes fracas broke out, too. On February 9, Kaur filed a complaint against Jones, accusing the mayor of using “profanity, abusive language, and intimidating behavior” against her and Council staffers. The complaint ultimately led to the first mayoral censure in 75 years.

History endures
The heightened emotions were felt by many in San Antonio’s queer community. Although one of several San Antonio “gay bars,” the Bonham Exchange has presided over 45 years of LGBTQIA-plus progress. When local entrepreneur Arthur Patrick "Hap" Veltman Jr. opened it in 1981, queer safety was far from guaranteed.

The need for sanctuary became especially acute in the ensuing years when the AIDS epidemic ravaged the gay community, triggering a wave of national backlash including public health panic, media sensationalism, and ingrained homophobia. Bonham became a place to grieve loss and organize action. Amidst a storm of anti-trans and drag legislation, it still serves that function today.

Progress stalls
Little progress seemed to follow after Jones announced the agreement with Bonham leadership. A May fundraiser and an ongoing GoFundMe have together raised a fraction of what's needed to cover the bill.

Earlier in July, Duckworth and Bonham attorney Javier Guerra told KSAT that Jones never helped fundraise, but arranged a meeting with Bryant Ambelang, CEO of Silver Ventures, the development company behind the Pearl, to go over business ideas, including splitting the club among multiple operators. At the time, Bonham was still seeking an extension to the sprinkler deadline.

“The only contact I’ve had is where she brought in totally new business ideas that would take away it from being the gay institution it’s been for 45 years,” Duckworth told the news station.

Legacy continues
While the nightclub will go dark at midnight on August 1, the nonprofit overseeing it, The Happy Foundation, assures the community that “the Bonham Exchange is here to stay.” It has secured funding to install sprinkler systems and make club upgrades like refinishing the ballroom floors and upgrading the sound system.

“For decades, this has been a place where people come together to dance, celebrate, connect, and make memories,” wrote the foundation in a statement. “We know what that means, and we are committed to caring for this building so it can keep welcoming generations of San Antonians and their guests.”

For their part, city officials are committed to bringing the Bonham back to life as soon as possible.

“The City’s priority is protecting patrons, employees, residents and first responders,” said a staffer in a statement. “We will expedite all necessary reviews, permits and inspections. Once each sprinkler system is installed and passes inspection, the City will promptly issue permanent Certificates of Occupancy.”