Iconic Chelsea Gay Bar Barracuda Will Close After 30 Years
Barracuda Lounge says a condo project nearby has caused unforeseen damage to the building, making it “impossible” to conduct business.
After three decades, Barracuda Lounge, a beloved Chelsea drag bar, is hanging up its heels and closing its curtains on March 23. Home to Star Search, the longest-running drag competition in New York, the bar has become a mainstay for New York queers and a launch pad for up-and-coming drag talent.
The establishment’s owner and co-founder Bob Pontarelli revealed in a statement that the bar’s closing is due to unforeseen damage caused by the demolition of surrounding buildings for a condo project. Sharing two walls with the construction site, the interior of the bar has already sustained damage. With bedrock drilling set to begin shortly, Pontarelli does not think the bar can continue. “There is no way to anticipate the additional damage and risks that could arise in the future. It is impossible to conduct business as usual.”
When Pontarelli and his late business partner Stephen Heighton opened the bar in 1995, they never imagined it would become such an integral part of queer culture. The duo decided to make the bar a place for nightly drag entertainment, which was a novel concept at the time, and launched Star Search which was hosted by the late Mona Foot.
Star Search became a hit and helped launch the careers of drag icons Sherry Vine, PepperMint, Honey Dijon, Bob the Drag Queen, Monet X Change, Bianca Del Rio, Miz Cracker, Tina Burner, and more. While those names will certainly sound familiar to any Drag Race fans, the show predated the Rupaul television empire and the New York Times even credited Star Search as one of the show’s likely inspirations.
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The Chelsea lounge, due to its effortlessly cool clientele and unique atmosphere, became a mainstay for celebrities, broadway performances, and even music promotion. Those who have attended the lounge throughout the years include icons like Jennifer Coolidge, Tonya Harding, Tammy Faye Baker, Helen Mirren, Golden Girls’ Rue McClanahan, and Joan Jett.
Part of the bar’s attraction was its unique vibe that differed from other gay bars at the time. While most ‘90s bars were geared toward the cruising crowd or, as Pontarelli described them, “stand and meet” places, Barracuda was much more laid-back. The owner duo infused a “funky living-room environment created mostly from furniture [they] picked up at flea markets,” which made the bar stand out from its competitors.
Barracuda was the first gay bar that Miz Cracker, RuPaul’s Drag Race icon, ever stepped foot into. To this day she says the bar is her favorite. “She’s still the only gay bar where I can kick up my feet and genuinely relax for a laugh in the dark with people of all kind,” said Cracker.
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After surviving COVID-19, getting a major renovation, and staying relevant on “best bar” lists for decades, it is a true shame that Barracuda will soon close its doors for the last time. Its legacy will no doubt live on through the lives it’s touched and the stars it’s made. Pontarelli signed off his note to the bar’s community, “It’s 4AM somewhere…good night and stay safe.”
