Historian wants city to designate old 'Boots' gay bar a heritage place

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeNewsLocal News Historian wants city to designate old 'Boots' gay bar a heritage place Noting most of Edmonton's historical LGBTQ2S+ watering holes have been demolished, Ron Byers is hoping to preserve the last of them Author of the article: By Eric Bowling Published Sep 23, 2026 Last updated 36 minutes ago 3 minute read Join the conversation Legendary Edmonton drag queen "Twiggy" performs at the Boots and Saddle in the 1980s. A local historian wants the the city to designate the building as a heritage place to help preserve Edmonton's LGBTQ2S+ history. PHOTO BY HORST HEINZE /Provided Article content As Edmonton launches a new modernized heritage places strategy, one historian is working to preserve the last standing building of one of Edmonton’s original gay bars. Article content Calling it a multi-year project, Ron Byers of Rainbow Story Hub has submitted a proposal to expand the city’s inventory of historical resources to include the Downtown site that was home to multiple queer-bars throughout Edmonton’s history. Article content Article content Article content Byers said he wants the site to become a museum of Edmonton’s queer history, as well as a support centre for younger members of the LGBTQ2S+ community. Article content Headline News Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Article content “People in the community have artifacts that need a place to go,” he said. “We need a space where we can archive and make stuff available for people to touch and ask questions about. Article content “The more we can make history accessible, the better, especially for young (LGBTQ2S+) people growing up.” Article content Article content After homosexuality was decriminalized in 1969 by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, a few entrepreneurs in the gay community decided to establish a bar for gay men to drink in peace. But “Club 70” quickly had to relocate after the building owner changed the locks — and somehow got away with ignoring a judge ordering him to put the old locks back. Article content Many name changes over the years Article content Club 70 moved to an old automotive shop in the heart of Edmonton’s Downtown. The new bar operated for several years but ran into issues with…