Historic WeHo Lesbian Bar Getting Demolished for Mixed-User

Palms, the West Hollywood lesbian bar that opened in the pre-Stonewall days of 1965, will be shuttering in June (after Gay Pride)--while its best days may have been behind it, the main reason for the closure is that the owner of the entire block of Santa Monica Boulevard, between West Knoll and Westbourne Drives, has new development plans for his parcel. Owner Michael Talla hopes to combine the Palms space with the adjacent lot that once housed the old Athletic Club so he can build a four-story mixed-use building with 8,700 square feet of retail and 19 residential units, WeHoville reports. The building that Palms occupies dates back to 1936; it became the gay-popular Palms Restaurant and Cocktail Lounge in 1953, and "officially" a lesbian bar in '65. Written about in LGBT history books, the bar attracted locals, tourists, and stars like Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi, Melissa Etheridge, and Kristy McNichol.
· Palms Bar Sets Closing Date; Lesbian 'Safe Haven' Remembered Fondly [WeHoville]