West Hollywood has lost another one of its iconic nightclubs. Rage is joining Flaming Saddles as a casualty to the novel coronavirus pandemic, Wehoville is reporting. Reps for the company on Wednesday did not immediately respond to a request for comment by What Now Los Angeles. The longstanding gay bar, restaurant, and club has been a staple of the community since it was opened in 1983, at 8911 Santa Monica Blvd.
According to Wehoville, the decision to shutter arrived by way of a lease dispute with Rage’s landlord. “Their lease is said to have been set to expire in November, but [Owners Robert Maghame and Saeed Sattari] were unable to negotiate a renewal with Overstreet,” according to the report. Overstreet is also the landlord for the nearby Flaming Saddles which announced on August 16 that it was closing.
As with all of the city’s businesses Rage was ordered to temporarily close down to slow the spread of COVID-19. Bars were allowed to reopen in mid-June under strict health guidelines but then were forced to reclose only 10 days later as cases in L.A. County were on the rise again.
