Video Bar impact returning soon! Y’all ready for some grand re-opening details!? ? #bonhamexchange #renovation #sanantonio #queenofnightlife ♬ Impact - SG Lewis & Robyn & Channel TresĪnd yes, even the carpet in the Bonham is getting a facelift with new commercial-grade fabric rolled out around the nightclub. Every bar in the two-story dance club has also been replaced with granite countertops, a feature he teased on TikTok back in May.
Haines worked with an interior decorator to not only refresh the walls in every room, but also find the right colors and proper tile to create new accent walls. Going up the stairs from the grand hall only leads to more rooms and different genres of music, all of which leads to the ballroom – the nightclub's main event. From there, the downstairs hallways lead to various rooms, each with their own bar. The nightspot's grand hall is the entryway into the maze-like structure. One Friday night after a Battle of Flowers Parade, the party moved to the historic Bonham Exchange nightclub. "I can't go and knock down walls and things of this nature," Haines says.Īlthough Haines didn't want to reveal too much to save most of the surprise for opening night, Haines says changes will be noticeable as soon as people enter the club's grand hall. In 1981, the Bonham Exchange debuted at Turner Hall.ĭue in part to its historic designation within the Alamo Plaza historic district, drastic interior changes made to the building are limited, so Haines renovated what he could. Veltman, also known as "Hap," was looking for a spot to relocate his gay nightclub The San Antonio Country. Veltman purchased the building in 1980 that the Bonham's current iteration took hold.
It wasn't until local developer Arthur P. The dance club was a popular disco-era draw for all sexes and sexual orientations. After the USO moved its office to Hemisfair in 1970, the government used it as a storage facility, according to the Bonham's website.īefore he founded the Bonham Exchange in 1981, San Antonio businessman and River Walk developer Arthur ‘Hap’ Veltman opened San Antonio Country in 1973. Turner Hall then became the downtown office for the United Service Organizations, a nonprofit that provides live entertainment to the U.S. Long before serving as San Antonio's premier LGBTQ+ club, the storied 130-year-old building was first owned and financed by a German-American gymnastics team known as the Turners, and there were even plans for an additional 10 stories - until the team defaulted on its loan during the Great Depression. The Bonham Exchange is located at 411 Bonham. Renovations to the 20,000-square-foot building have been an undertaking for the nightclub since 2012, when the owner restored and refinished over 10,000 square feet of hardwood floors – only half of the entire building. Kimberly's expert tip: There's never a cover.The Bonham Exchange is in Turner Hall, a historic piece of property that was built in 1891. Recommended for Gay Clubs because: Kockout is the newest bar to open up on the strip, and therefore is the new hot place to hangout. In the evening, they open up the Backroom Bar, where the real fun is said to be had.
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When you get nibbley, you can nosh on a yummy snack from their full kitchen or opt for a handmade pizza from Pup's Pizza, which is located right inside Knockout. Knockout invites guests to come in, enjoy the music, drink the cocktails and get great service from some of San Antonio's best bartenders. They have brand new pool tables, dart boards and even a punching bag, for working out that post-work aggression.
it may be the first official gay sports bar in San Antonio, where you can watch games on one of their big screens or over 15 flat screen TVs. One of the newest additions to the LGBT nightlife is Knockout, located along the San Antonio strip, also known as Main Avenue.