SAN ANTONIO – An iconic gay nightclub in downtown San Antonio says issues with its lack of sprinklers could eventually force it to close its doors.
The City of San Antonio said the Bonham Exchange, which opened in 1981, is several years overdue to retrofit its 1891 building with automatic sprinklers. But a trio of council members wants to extend the deadline a little further.
“To me, it’s more of a public safety threat to close down an institution that people go to where they feel safe and where they feel like they’re accepted and wanted,” said Councilwoman Sukh Kaur (D1). “That is a bigger safety threat — that we would be closing down an institution like that.”
Six other bars are also still out of compliance with 2018 fire code updates, according to the city. Still, they have each signed agreements to take interim steps, such as cutting occupancy and having trained staff look for fire hazards until they can fully comply.
The Bonham Exchange has not.
Joan Duckworth, the Bonham Exchange’s general manager, said a new sprinkler system would cost $550,000. Duckworth said they can fundraise, but she needs time and the ability to let in more people than the city wants.
It is not clear what exactly the maximum occupancy of the multi-story Bonham Exchange is. Duckworth had believed their occupancy was 1,106, but the city’s proposed plan called for resuming operations after sprinklers are installed with an occupancy of 686.
Either way, the city’s plan to start off with 300 occupants while work gets underway was a no-go for Duckworth.
“I can’t keep the doors open with less than 300 people,” Duckworth said. “That would virtually shutter us, either slow death or immediate death.”
The Bonham nearly had to shut down this past weekend anyway. An attorney for the club said the city had told them the club’s certificate of occupancy would be pulled if they didn’t sign an agreement.
That threat has now been put off until at least a Thursday city council meeting and a vote forced by Kaur, Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2), and Councilwoman Teri Castillo (D5).
In a Jan. 23 memo, the council members request an extension of the deadline for the seven businesses to comply with the sprinkler requirement until Feb. 1, 2027, “without a reduction to their operating scale or capacity.”
“The goal is to keep them in compliance agreements, but just compliance agreements that they can stay in business with,” said Kaur, who represents the downtown area around the Bonham.
Changes to the 2018 fire code required bars, restaurants, and nightclubs that serve alcohol and hold over 300 people to either retrofit their buildings with automatic sprinklers or lower their occupancy.
In a memo for Thursday’s agenda item, staff said the change was a direct, long-term response to the 2003 Station Nightclub fire in Rhode Island, which killed 100 people.
The city’s original deadline to comply was Oct. 1, 2023, and staff said the Fire Marshal’s office sent noncompliant nightclubs certified mail in February 2024, reminding them of the requirements.
“The City remains committed to supporting a thriving business community while also protecting the health and safety of patrons and first responders,” city spokesman Brian Chasnoff said in an emailed statement. “That is why the City continues to pursue compliance measures so that these critical fire safety standards are met.”
Duckworth said she has worked at the Bonham for more than 20 years but “was not in a position of power until last March” and had not previously realized how “drastic” things were with the need for a sprinkler system.
“I want to stress to you that I’m not fighting with the city,” she told KSAT. “I’m trying to save this building and the legacy of Arthur’ Hap’ Veltman."
The city said Heat Nightclub, Industry Nightclub, Club 727, I-10 Icehouse, Nuevo Volcan, and Paper Tiger have all signed compliance agreements.
Kaur said at least one of the locations, Heat Nightclub, may not need sprinklers after all to be in compliance.
“He just signed his compliance agreement, I think this year when they sent that letter,” Kaur said, “but they told him all he needed to do was replace two doors."
In response to KSAT’s request for confirmation, Chasnoff said the Heat Nightclub did require sprinklers because its occupancy load exceeds 300.
However, he also wrote, “The existing wall would require fire-rated doors to qualify as a fire barrier and reduce occupancy load.”
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