Skip to Content
News

Westlake’s Oldest Gay Bar Set to be Demolished

Opened in the early 1960s, the Silver Platter has long been known as a safe space for immigrant gay and transgender communities in Westlake. The building dates back to the 1920s.

The words silver and platter with an emblem between them featured on the front of the Silver Platter on 7th Street.

The front of the Silver Platter on 7th Street in Westlake. (Photo by Lexis-Olivier Ray for L.A. TACO)

The Silver Platter, Westlake’s oldest gay bar, is currently at risk of being demolished.

Opened in the early 1960s, the Silver Platter has long been known as a safe space for immigrant gay and transgender communities in Westlake. The building dates back to the 1920s.

Last month, a developer filed an application to demolish the bar and adjacent store fronts—which include a travel agency and glass shop—to make way for a seven-story, 55-unit apartment complex, according to online Building and Safety records. The developer has indicated that at least some of those units will be “affordable.”

Esotouric first reported that the developer claimed there were no historic resources on the property and that it was not eligible for historic preservation, on a form filed with the city planning department.

However, a 2008 city survey found that 2700 W. 7th Street “appears eligible for the National Register, California Register, and as an L.A. Historic Cultural Monument because it is one of a limited number of intact commercial buildings constructed during the period of significance and appears to meet the eligibility standards prepared in the Westlake CRA Survey Historic Context Statement.”

The Silver Platter is not far from the former house of Morris Kight, a pioneer of the gay rights movement in Los Angeles. Last year the city council designated the Morris Kight house a historic landmark.

“There are a number of groups that came out of the gay liberation front, all of which sprung up on Wilshire and Alvarado down from here,” said preservationist Richard Schave of Esotouric. “So this is a really important neighborhood for the LGBTQ+ community.” 

A spokesperson for Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez told L.A. TACO that the councilmember “believes that it’s crucial that we honor the history of the LGBTQIA+ movement, and protect safe spaces for those community members,” when asked her position on the matter. 

“This development project was approved prior to our time in office. However, our office is working with the Planning Department to identify what options are available to protect this important location,” said Rhondaya Fishburne, Hernandez’s digital communications deputy.

As of recently, the Silver Platter is still open for business, according to Schave and Kim Cooper of Esotouric. But its days appear to be possibly numbered.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

Tens of Thousands of Angelenos Flock to L.A.’s Flower District for a Valentine’s Day Flower Free-For-All

Tens of thousands made their way to the city's wholesale flower capital, jamming the streets and sidewalks with countless flowers and people. L.A. TACO'S contributing photographer Kemal Cilengir was there to capture it all, including street vendors getting fined and the dystopian-like flower free-for-all being had by lovestruck customers and hustling vendors eager to offload their prized plants.

February 14, 2025

This Weekend: A New Bar-Setting Indian Restaurant, Duck Laab Pizza, and a Filipino Breakfast Diner Pop-Up

Have a three-day weekend full of chai cheesecake, black garlic cocktails, egg pie, and famous flour tortillas.

February 14, 2025

Self-Defense Against ICE: Community Groups In L.A. Are Uniting to Protect Themselves

More than 50 organizations have joined the call to join this coalition, making it one of Southern California's largest immigrant rights coalitions. The group aims to extend from the San Fernando Valley to the U.S./Mexico border. The coalition is organizing training sessions to prepare its members for community tactics to defend their neighbors from ICE raids and deportations. Their first mass protest is taking place on Monday.

February 13, 2025

Tacos Before Vatos: 13 Tacos In L.A. That Will Make You Forget About Him

For L.A. TACO, love is always in the air, and it smells like charcoal burning on a sunny day under carne asada and tortillas hot off the comal, with vibrant salsas, caramelized onions, and thick guacamole. Forget him, and spend time with things that matter in life: tacos, forever. 

February 13, 2025

Unmatched Hustle: Immigrant from Michoacán’s Tierra Caliente Creates Innovative Tortillería on Wheels…In Bakersfield

Many come and buy pounds and pounds to share with their family members as soon as they taste a warm “taco de sal,” a tortilla sprinkled simply with salt and rolled up like a thin flauta. It’s common to eat tacos de sal while waiting in line at a tortillería in Mexico, but not so much in the U.S. 

February 12, 2025
See all posts