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After being closed for over year, the nights of 50-cent well drinks won't return anytime soon. Haines, who started as a Bonham bartender in 1989, took over ownership after Garrett's death. The Bonham Exchange celebrated 36 years Saturday night July 29, 2017, in classic Bonham style. He expects about 1,500 to 2,000 people to show up, and a line around the block the night of the reopening, so he recommends showing up early. Haines closed the club on Ma– a few days before the city ordered bars and restaurants closed in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Bonham's reopening means a long-awaited return to business for Haines and his employees. Now it hosts the afterparty, and Haines says that will continue as he has already been in talks with Cornyation organizers. Apart from being a popular club frequented by partygoers during Fiesta, the Bonham hosted Cornyation starting in 1982 before moving to the Empire Theatre several years later. One of the biggest innovations was involving the Bonham Exchange in the Alamo City community, including the city's biggest party – Fiesta. Garrett strived to keep the same celebratory and open atmosphere until his own death in February 2019. That has always been the Bonham and what has kept us in business for 40 years," Haines says.Ĭreating the Bonham's inclusive atmosphere was crucial for both Veltman and his partner, Kenneth Garrett, who was entrusted with ownership of the Bonham Exchange along with Wade Strauch, after Veltman died in 1989.įiesta 1983: King Anchovy Earl Stenger entertains audiences at Cornyation at the Bonham Exchange.
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"One thing that's not going to change is the friendly, welcoming environment. 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.
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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.
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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. The Bonham Exchange is in Turner Hall, a historic piece of property that was built in 1891.