The Point Loma bar has not changed addresses, ownership, or liquor license. What has changed is its name and public positioning, a notable shift for a space that has historically resisted reinvention. The new name references 1924, the year the bar first opened as The 19th Hole, a quiet stop for golfers playing the nearby Sail Ho course at what is now Liberty Station. According to the bar’s own history, a storm famously tore the “19” from the sign, leaving behind the accidental name The Hole, which endured for decades without marketing, polish, or explanation.
Over time, The Hole became far more than a neighborhood bar. Long before visibility or safety were guaranteed, it emerged as one of San Diego’s first openly gay bars, operating as a place of quiet acceptance during eras when discretion was often a matter of survival. Through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, it evolved into a sanctuary, then a social anchor, and ultimately an institution, known for its garden patio, no-frills drinks, and legendary Sunday Beer Busts that regularly drew hundreds. For many patrons, The Hole was not simply a bar but a living archive of San Diego’s LGBTQ history.
The transition to Bar 1924 is therefore not a cosmetic update. It is a meaningful and emotional shift for a space that has carried its identity largely unchanged for more than six decades. According to the bar’s updated website, the intent is not to erase the past but to widen the lens, emphasizing atmosphere, craft, and longevity over labels.
Still, the rebrand has raised quiet but pointed questions within San Diego’s LGBTQ community. While Bar 1924 emphasizes restraint, intimacy, and what it describes as “quiet pride,” the new branding notably avoids explicitly acknowledging The Hole’s long-standing role as a gay bar. Language suggesting that authenticity need not be “shouted” has struck some longtime patrons as less like reverence and more like distancing, particularly given that visibility, not subtlety, was historically what allowed spaces like The Hole to exist at all.
Ownership attributes the current philosophy to experience rooted in serious kitchens, including time spent at Cowboy Star, with an emphasis on discipline, repetition, and consistency rather than trends or spectacle. The message is clear. This is not a nostalgia bar or a themed reinvention. It is an attempt to build something meant to endure, just as the bar already has.
Even so, retiring the name The Hole, a name that survived raids, cultural shifts, near closures, and decades of social change, marks a significant moment in San Diego bar history. Since 2015, the property has been operated by Lytton Partners LLC, with longtime owners Karen Sherman and Roger Hull guiding the bar through its centennial era. California ABC records confirm the original on-sale general public premises license remains active at the same address, reinforcing that this is an evolution rather than a sale or closure.
For longtime patrons, the change may feel bittersweet. The Hole was never polished by design, and that roughness was part of its power. Bar 1924, by contrast, is intentional, curated, and reflective. Whether the new identity ultimately strengthens the bar’s legacy or complicates it will depend on how well it balances reverence for what came before with the realities of what a neighborhood bar must be in 2026.
What is undeniable is that a space that has quietly witnessed nearly a century of San Diego life is making one of the boldest moves in its history. A bar that once survived by staying under the radar is now choosing to redefine how its story is told.
Bar 1924 is now open at 2820 Lytton Street in San Diego's Point Loma. For more information, visit bar1924sd.com.
Originally published January 14, 2026.
Still, the rebrand has raised quiet but pointed questions within San Diego’s LGBTQ community. While Bar 1924 emphasizes restraint, intimacy, and what it describes as “quiet pride,” the new branding notably avoids explicitly acknowledging The Hole’s long-standing role as a gay bar. Language suggesting that authenticity need not be “shouted” has struck some longtime patrons as less like reverence and more like distancing, particularly given that visibility, not subtlety, was historically what allowed spaces like The Hole to exist at all.
Ownership attributes the current philosophy to experience rooted in serious kitchens, including time spent at Cowboy Star, with an emphasis on discipline, repetition, and consistency rather than trends or spectacle. The message is clear. This is not a nostalgia bar or a themed reinvention. It is an attempt to build something meant to endure, just as the bar already has.
Even so, retiring the name The Hole, a name that survived raids, cultural shifts, near closures, and decades of social change, marks a significant moment in San Diego bar history. Since 2015, the property has been operated by Lytton Partners LLC, with longtime owners Karen Sherman and Roger Hull guiding the bar through its centennial era. California ABC records confirm the original on-sale general public premises license remains active at the same address, reinforcing that this is an evolution rather than a sale or closure.
For longtime patrons, the change may feel bittersweet. The Hole was never polished by design, and that roughness was part of its power. Bar 1924, by contrast, is intentional, curated, and reflective. Whether the new identity ultimately strengthens the bar’s legacy or complicates it will depend on how well it balances reverence for what came before with the realities of what a neighborhood bar must be in 2026.
What is undeniable is that a space that has quietly witnessed nearly a century of San Diego life is making one of the boldest moves in its history. A bar that once survived by staying under the radar is now choosing to redefine how its story is told.
Bar 1924 is now open at 2820 Lytton Street in San Diego's Point Loma. For more information, visit bar1924sd.com.
Originally published January 14, 2026.
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