Existing tenants would stay put through South by Southwest next spring, he said. Ott said that the developers plan to start construction in May of next year, with a target opening date of late 2025. There are not plans for Coconut Club and Neon Grotto to return as tenants. Ott said at the committee meeting that the reimagined project could house a chef-driven restaurant concept in that space he told the Statesman that he hopes it would be "locally driven." The bar would receive a "subsidized rent structure," he added, and the lease terms would let it stay on the block for years to come. Ott told the Statesman on Wednesday that Hanover Company and Oilcan Harry's have an agreement in principle for the bar to vacate when construction starts and return as a ground-floor tenant "as soon as possible." The two parties have worked on plans for the new space so that they meet the bar's needs, Ott said. More like this: Austin has to find a way to keep its weirdos, says fitness and film star Erica Nix The approximately 40-story tower, with about 400 residential units, would also preserve the existing ground-floor architecture and brick façades. The developers said that their plan to build a mixed-use development on the spot would maintain the “beloved character” of the district, with open areas and a corner that invites street activity. filed by applicant Metcafe Wolff Stuart and Williams, LLP, an Austin-based real estate law firm. David Ott of Houston-based developer Hanover Company and Clara Wineberg of Chicago-based architecture firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz on April 11 appeared before the commission’s architectural review committee for feedback on plans for the site. The Historic Landmark Commission is considering a demolition proposal for 201-213 W. While they do not bill themselves as LGBTQ bars as explicitly as their neighbors, the adjoining dance clubs regularly host drag shows and queer DJs. The latter touts itself as the oldest LGBTQ bar in the city, opening in 1990.Ĭoconut Club and Neon Grotto, newcomers to the block, set up shop more recently - in 2019 for the former and 2021 for the latter. While the lineup has changed, consistent residents calling it home include Rain, Highland Lounge and Oilcan Harry’s. The Fourth Street neighborhood has been home to the greatest concentration of Austin’s LGBTQ bars for decades. When the Supreme Court opened the door for marriage equality in 2015, celebrations centered on Fourth Street, for example, and the annual Austin Pride Parade route marches past Oilcan Harry's. Historically, bars like these have been crucial community centers for the city's queer population. The prospect has caused a groundswell of public opposition to the demolition, but not all the bar owners feel the same way. In the city’s Warehouse District, developers seek to demolish the buildings home to Oilcan Harry’s, Coconut Club and Neon Grotto near Fourth and Colorado streets and the Iron Bear on West Sixth Street. All four Austin nightclubs either cater primarily to LGBTQ patrons, like Oilcan Harry's and the Iron Bear, or program entertainment explicitly for that community, as in the case of Coconut Club and Neon Grotto. Watch Video: Austin's LGBTQ bars could be displaced by demolitionĪbout half of Austin’s LGBTQ-centric nightlife spaces could soon be displaced, as redevelopment comes to the historic buildings they call home.