The Orange County Register is reporting that Laguna Beach's historic bastion of gay nightlife, the Boom Boom Room and Coast Inn, will close its doors for good after Labor Day weekend after its co-owners were unable to reach an agreement with landlord Steven Udvar-Hazy.
Despite valiant efforts by local resident Fred Karger who spearheaded a Save the Boom campaign that went so far as to plead with Brad Pitt and George Clooney (who were once rumored to be interested in the property) to rescue the landmark, the Boom will shutter on September 3rd. A Men of Laguna Beach calendar was also produced to help publicize the cause and raise money for it. Karger said he still has hope that someone will still arrive to save the day.
Said former Laguna councilman and mayor Robert Gentry: “It's not as much the actual place, but a symbol of the gay community's role in the city of Laguna Beach – its development, shape and sense of character. There is a certain sense of history there that is really important. I don't want the gay community to return to second-class citizens in that wonderful seaside community that it helped develop.”
Landmark gay bar to close [oc register]
Boom Boom Room's Last Swish [curbed la]
