Henry’s, a popular restaurant and bar along 10th Street in the heart of Midtown, is closing November 30 after its owner failed to reach an agreement with the landlord on a lease renewal. However, Rough Draft reports that a social club with 3,500 members representing the LGBTQ community and their allies is planning a rally for Monday evening to protest the Midtown restaurant’s closure.
Rally in Red, organized by the Atlanta Socializers Club, takes place at Henry’s Monday, November 20, at 5 p.m., and the public is welcome to join. People attending Monday’s rally at Henry’s are asked to wear red or pride colors
Owner Maureen Kalmanson posted a statement to Henry’s website last week indicating the lease had expired and she was unable to reach an agreement with the landlord, which is apparently Atlanta-based real estate developer Dewberry Capitol. In addition to Henry’s, Kalmanson owns Campagnolo Italian restaurant nearby on Piedmont Avenue.
Henry’s has long been a popular hangout for visitors and residents to Midtown since opening in 2013 and serves as a year-round gathering spot for Atlanta’s LGBTQ community. Organizers behind the rally point to other recent restaurant closures in Atlanta seen as safe spaces for the LGBTQ community to gather for prompting the need to protest Henry’s closure. The group also hopes to raise more awareness around the growing crisis of rising rents and real estate costs in Atlanta.
Earlier this fall, Dewberry Capitol filed permits with the city to demolish a partially constructed building just west of Henry’s on the corner of 10th Street and Peachtree. The building was to include a rooftop restaurant. According to Urbanize Atlanta, Dewberry Capitol owns an entire block spanning four acres in Midtown that includes the property on which Henry’s currently resides. And, this isn’t the first time Dewberry Capitol has abandoned projects and dubious development plans in Atlanta. A 2017 story on the company’s…
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