Blake’s on the Park, the popular LGBTQ bar located in the heart of Midtown, is expected to reopen later this week after a fire forced its closure over Memorial Day weekend.
The fire broke out about 6:30 a.m. on May 25 in a small store room in the upstairs level of the venue near 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue. The intersection is where Atlanta’s rainbow crosswalks are located that pay tribute to the area’s LGBTQ history.
“It’s not as bad as we thought it was,” said Blake’s manager Mark Bradley on Tuesday afternoon. “The damage is pretty minimal. We’re going to get the downstairs bar opened up when we’re able to.”
That could be as soon as Thursday, he said. Cleaning up the upstairs bar where the fire and smoke damage is will take longer. The upstairs bar could be closed a couple weeks.
Rumors that Blake’s is closing permanently because of the fire are false, Bradley said.
“We’re in Atlanta landmark at this point. We’re a staple. We’ve been open since 1988,” he said. “We’re not closing permanently. We’re hoping to open on Thursday. We’re just playing the waiting game with the insurance adjuster.”
Bradley said it while it was disappointing Blake’s was closed during a typically busy long weekend, there were many “silver linings.”
“Nobody was hurt, the fire could have been a lot worse,” he said. “We’re all remaining pretty positive and optimistic. We’re all safe, we got to rest this weekend. We’re gonna be just fine and hopefully open pretty soon, better than ever.”
Atlanta Fire and Rescue spokesperson Anaré Holmes said firefighters arrived at 10th and Piedmont about 6:30 a.m. on Saturday. No foul play is suspected.
“There doesn’t seem to be anything nefarious; no foul play,” Holmes said. “There is an investigation underway. But right now, it is considered to be a moderate fire.”
Firefighters saw flames and smoke coming from the upper level of Blake’s when they arrived. Crews worked the scene for about three hours.
