Longtime Cathedral City LGBTQ bar The Barracks closing amid dispute with city

An LGBTQ bar that has been a mainstay of Cathedral City for over 30 years announced this week it will be closing amid a dispute with the city over code and occupancy issues. The closure of The Barracks also comes months after an allegation that it violated the terms of its state liquor license by hosting lewd conduct.

The owner of the business says he plans to relocate the bar to Phoenix and possibly expand to other cities.

The Barracks has catered to the LGBTQ leather subculture since it first opened its doors under the name WOLF’s inside a sprawling warehouse-like space near Cathedral City’s border with Palm Springs. Its website touts that it is known for its large and boisterous “Sunday beer bust” parts as well as hosting a variety of themed events.

On Wednesday, a statement was posted on The Barracks’ website and social media pages saying the bar will be closing at the end of business on Sunday, Aug. 4.

“We want to thank all of you — the LGBTQ+ Community — for all of your support, love, connections and friendship over these past 31 years,” the statement read. “It has been our deepest honor and privilege to serve you.”

The statement also said that the state was set to revoke the bar’s liquor license the next day, Aug. 5.

The website for the California Department of Beverage Control shows that it filed a legal action in June over alleged lewd conduct at The Barracks.

A spokesperson for the department confirmed that it received a public complaint regarding the bar that led to an investigation by the department that is still ongoing. He added that no final disciplinary actions have been taken, meaning that it is not accurate that the bar’s liquor license was to be revoked on Aug. 5.

After an inquiry from The Desert Sun, The Barracks responded through its Facebook account saying it had no further comment beyond the social media posting.

The closure was announced just a few days after owner Scott Murchison wrote a post on the same Facebook page saying he wanted to “clear the air and set some things straight” regarding “wild rumors” that had been circulating about the fate of the bar.

He wrote that the city had decreased the bar’s occupancy and was requiring it to make over $100,000 in upgrades to the bar’s aging building. Murchison wrote that the bar was negotiating with government officials and had also been exploring opportunities to expand The Barracks to Arizona, Florida and Georgia. He asked the bar’s fans to “stay turned” for lots of exciting things coming both in the Coachella Valley and beyond.

City Manager Charlie McClendon said it's untrue that the city had decreased the bar's allowed occupancy. He wrote in a statement: "The building has always been designated with a legal occupant load not to exceed 49. When the occupancy exceeded that number, they were operating outside of the authorized occupancy. The City never made them cease operations because of occupancy issues."

McClendon added that the city had been working with the business on ways to get its legal occupancy increased to 400, a process that required the business to submit plans by late July and complete improvements by late December. As recently as this week, McClendon wrote, the city had received plans for some of those improvements.

He said the city's required improvements to the building, including fire sprinklers, exit signage and "panic hardware" on exit doors, are common measures in larger establishments and that such local requirements are allowed under state building and fire codes.

McClendon said he was especially concerned by allegations he'd seen that the city was harassing the business because it's LGBTQ oriented. He pointed to several ways in which the city has shown its support of LGBTQ businesses, residents and customers, including its annual LGBT Days observation and LGBTQ liaisons in both the city manager's office and police department.

The city's police, fire and code enforcement departments have never entered the bar except in response to a call for service, McClendon added. He said data since July of 2023 shows there were 16 medical aid calls at the business, one code enforcement call over noise and 39 police calls for issues common to a bar or other business, such as noise complaints, thefts and public intoxication.

"I am proud to work for Cathedral City, a city which embraces and supports our LGBTQ residents, employees and businesses..." McClendon wrote, adding, "Our greatest hope is that the Barracks is able to work through their issues with California ABC and remain in business. If not, we wish them the best in whatever endeavors they move on to."

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Longtime Cathedral City LGBTQ bar The Barracks closing amid dispute with city