Clarification: An earlier version of this article misstated when a noise complaint was sent. The complaint was sent at 10:30 p.m. In addition, Brian Jinings is co-owner of the bar, not the sole owner.
A year after the passage of protection for historic LGBTQ+ entertainment venues in Hillcrest amid a wave of construction, those rules remain largely untested – even as the conflict between clubs and new residents that leaders feared has come to life.
In 2024, with the expected conversion of many commercial properties into high-rise residential buildings under an upzoned community plan, neighborhood leaders wanted to preserve what makes Hillcrest special – even as it evolves with new residents – by creating a cultural district.
They had seen how in other cities when queer people historically flocked together for safety and community, they would revitalize run-down neighborhoods. But there’s a risk – spurring a second wave of gentrification that could price out the LGBTQ+ businesses that transformed the area into something attractive in the first place.
Last year, the city passed Plan Hillcrest, an amendment to the Uptown Community Plan that densifies and urbanizes the neighborhood to rival downtown. The plan allows for Hillcrest to add 17,000 new housing units, possibly doubling its population by 2050.
Local leaders wanted some aspects of that growth.
If rental prices decrease with additional housing options, bartenders who work at gay clubs or LGBTQ+ seniors priced out of the “gayborhood” might be able to return to live in a supportive, inclusive area.
But they also feared that an influx of new residents might try to change the established LGBTQ+ nightlife culture into something quieter, tamer and less alternative.
The tension blew up on social media in October when a bar patron shared his frustration that a night of dancing at Number One Fifth Avenue was cut short by noise complaints from residents in a neighboring eight-story apartment building.
“If you want a pretty fancy apartment you can literally move anywhere. We can’t have a gayborhood everywhere,” wrote Daniel Hetzel.
The contested patio
Number One co-owner Brian Jinings was touched that dozens of comments on Hetzel’s post were in support of protecting the culture of the bar and neighborhood over altering it for the sake of new residents.
“There is part of me that feels like people should not move into areas that are known for having parades and festivals and loud bars and groups of people chatting and screaming and yelling and having fun walking down the street and then complain about it,” Jinings, who does not oppose added density, said. “You should know and be aware of where you’re moving.”
Jinings said some residents have embraced living so near the bar, even dancing on their balcony and interacting with patrons during events on the patio. Others have become regulars.
But he has noticed a rise in noise complaints in recent months.
Jinings explained that on the Saturday night in question, a resident sent a complaint to Number One’s anonymous tip line about the music on the patio at around 10:30 p.m. The DJ turned down the volume and slowly wound down the set.
“You have several people that are moving into these buildings that have never lived in Hillcrest before, and they might not be fully aware of our existence, or The Rail’s existence, or the history of it all,” Jinings said.
The drag shows, dance floor and events that animate the bar all occur on Number One’s patio. Along with sister bar The Brass Rail, the patio was the site of early HIV/AIDS fundraisers in the 1980s.
“The back patio is where they raised money for funerals, for rent, for medical treatments, for clothing during the initial parts of that significant part of history that we went through,” Jinings said.
The tradition continues today, with a drag show cancer benefit hosted this spring on the patio.
Business dropped by 20% for Number One since it began closing its patio at midnight earlier this year, according to Jinings.
“When we first bought the bar, the patio was raging until 1:30 or 2 in the morning, so it’s significantly affected our business,” Jinings said.
He began closing the patio earlier once the adjacent apartment building, Denizen, opened in an effort to compromise and be good neighbors, even if it costs him.
“Most of the revenue is generated on that patio, and so anything that would affect the operating hours of that is not good.”
Cultural district test case?
An LGBTQ Cultural District created last year designates Hillcrest as an entertainment zone, with outdoor events allowed to continue til midnight.
“A patio open until midnight is, relative to the rest of the city, is an exception,” said Benjamin Nicholls, executive director of Hillcrest’s business association.
When LGBTQ+ people began moving to Hillcrest in the 1970s, it was rundown and far from the popular destination it is today.
And even though LGBTQ+ people have gained more societal acceptance, rollbacks on rights and protections under the Trump administration have shown people that the concept of a safe enclave still has merit. Forming community in a safe space, such as a gay bar, remains important.
Jinings bought Number One in 2019 to keep the historic gay dive bar open.
Nicholls was part of efforts to create the cultural district.
Along with business leaders, he opposed a historic designation which would have protected the brick-and-mortar buildings, but not what happened inside those buildings. The efforts began partially because of the Denizen’s construction.
“The picture of the construction site right next to Number One was a motivation for doing the cultural district,” Nicholls said. “What we predicted there is coming to fruition.”
In addition to extending outdoor event hours, the LGBTQ Cultural District includes other protections for its historic entertainment venues.
Landlords and home sellers must now get signed acknowledgement that lessees and buyers are aware they are moving into an entertainment zone with loud noise.
That lease addendum has not stopped Number One and The Rail, another nearby bar, from receiving noise complaints since the 151-unit Denizen opened. Jinings knows he may become the test case for how effective the protections are if the complaints worsen.
“We’ll see what the new designation is really going to do for us in terms of protecting our business,” Jinings said.
Those protections could be strengthened or changed again if an application to become a California-designated cultural district goes through. Nicholls said Hillcrest has reached the semi-finals of that process.
