ATLANTA — There are now plans to possibly restore the original Atlanta Eagle after a fire ripped through the site of the iconic gay bar, Thursday night.
“There was so much love, and it was amazing to have everyone here,” said Richard Ramey, the owner of the original Atlanta Eagle bar.
The fast-moving flames tore through both the now-closed bar and the old adjoining Kodak building on Ponce De Leon Avenue.
No one was hurt, but the cause of the fire is under investigation.
Channel 2 Action News spoke with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens at the scene.
“This doesn’t look like it’s vandalism or arson or anything or malice intent,” Dickens said.
“I’m very devastated for our loss,” Ramey told Channel 2′s Audrey Washington.
The original Atlanta Eagle bar was a safe space for those in the LGBTQ community.
The bar made national headlines during the 2009 police raids.
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Those raids sparked a movement and created change for the gay community in Atlanta.
“Maybe we can make something out of this,” Ramey said.
Ramey said he is now thinking about the future. He hopes the burned building will be restored into something greater.
He said he wants the building to become home to a new Atlanta Gay History Center.
“I feel like this can be rebuilt and made into something. Maybe this is the beginning of something new,” Ramey told Washington.
The investigation into the fire is ongoing.
The new Atlanta Eagle location near Ansley Mall was not impacted and remains open for business.
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