The Boom Boom Room is on its last legs and the swishy swillers in Laguna are none-too-pleased. Billionaire Steven F. Udvar-Hazy has plans to remake a part of Laguna Beach that has become known as "the heart of Laguna's gay community." Udvar-Hazy has designs on an upscale boutique hotel on the site and major renovations to the area around it, leaving the gays out in the cold.
Last November, Udvar-Hazy -- through his Emerald Financial, LLC -- bought every parcel on the 100 block of Mountain Road for an estimated $25 million.The Boom Boom Room, one of the five oldest gay clubs in the country, has seen its fair share of history. Rock Hudson's "secretary", Mark Miller, used to frequent the club in the 60s during the time when gays began flocking to the area. Hudson stayed away of course, as his studio bosses wouldn't allow it.Included in the purchase were the properties on which Coast Liquor, Gay Mart and a residential home now stand.
Laguna resident Fred Karger is making a last ditch effort to save the Boom Boom Room by starting a petition drive to collect 5,000 signatures from locals, which he hope will prove to Udvar-Hazy and the Laguna City Council that the Boom Boom Room has a few more booms left in it.
· Last call at the Boom Boom Room looms [Coastline Pilot]