ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Atlanta fire investigators are looking into what caused two landmarks to go up into flames.
Flames roared through the former Atlanta Eagle and Kodak building off Ponce De Leon Thursday night.
Atlanta Eagle owner Richard Ramey showed up to property Friday.
RELATED: Crews battle fire at former Atlanta Eagle, Kodak buildings in Old Fourth Ward
“It’s devastating to see this damage,” he said.
Ramey says the space has always been their second home.
“It’s always worried me that it was a vacant building. It wasn’t that I was surprised, I hated to hear it,” he said.
The prominent a LGBTQ bar housed the space for 35 years. The Atlanta Eagle moved to Ansley Square in 2022.
The building is a historical landmark. It was named one of the first protected LGBTQ bars in the Deep South.
Ramey says it’s a space that holds endless memories and history.
“There’s so many, anywhere from when Dennis Rodman popped in to say hello, to just my customers and the times and parties all the things we did there and we brought the community together,” he said.
The devastating fire has sparked calls to revitalize the space.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens showed up to the fire scene Thursday night echoing the devastation.
“It’s tragic for a place like this to catch on fire. It is an Atlanta institution. You think about the amount of memories that were had here Ru Paul performing, a number of people enjoying themselves. Hopefully, we can get this back to productive use so people can enjoy it again,” he said.
Ramey says he plans to work with the city in hopes to be able to preserve it, “I’ve always wanted to see the Atlanta gay history center here. I think with it being the first landmark building historic for our community, what better than to have the Atlanta gay history center.”
The cause of the fire has not been determined.
City officials stressed it does not appear to be any sort of hate crime.
Fire Chief Roderick Smith noted those experiencing homelessness have been known to frequent the building.
Copyright 2024 WANF. All rights reserved.
