The building that houses the White Horse Inn, widely considered the oldest continuously operating gay bar in the United States, has hit the market for $2.5 million. The sale covers the entire two-story structure near the Berkeley border in Oakland's Bushrod Park neighborhood — the ground-floor bar space plus five apartments above — but it won't touch the bar's existing lease, which runs through 2029.
The listing, first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, identifies the address as 6551 Telegraph Ave., though a commercial listing from Coldwell Banker lists the property at 6547 Telegraph Avenue — a discrepancy that hasn't been resolved publicly. That Coldwell Banker listing describes a roughly 7,600-square-foot mixed-use building that's fully occupied, anchored by a triple-net lease on the commercial space and near-market rents on the apartments. The building's owner has said the decision to sell reflects the responsibilities of ownership and a desire to reap the rewards.
The Bar's Lease Runs Through 2029
Patty Dingle, who has owned the White Horse Inn itself since 2022, said the bar's seven-year lease won't be disrupted by the building sale.
The urgency behind those plans comes down to money. Dingle has said that the business has been hard to sustain, with revenue dropping year after year.
A Bar Built on Survival and Reinvention
The White Horse has outlasted nearly a century of change since it officially opened in 1933, and some queer histories suggest it may have operated as a speakeasy even before that, though that detail remains speculative. Early accounts describe it as a gay-friendly bar attached to a Chinese restaurant before it evolved into the dedicated nightlife spot it is today.
The bar's identity as a community anchor deepened over time. It has long served as a frequent venue for the Rebel Kings drag king troupe.
The White Horse closed for almost 15 months during the COVID-19 pandemic before reopening in mid-April 2021, according to SFGate. That reopening brought in a younger crowd that helped rebuild business through word of mouth. More recently, the bar has begun hosting Queer First Fridays, featuring drag performances and dance parties, as described by GayCities. The bar is set to host a Mary Todd Lincoln-themed Halloween party on October 31.
A Rare Survivor
New Orleans' Café Lafitte in Exile also vies for the title of oldest continuously operating gay bar in the country, according to History.com, underscoring just how rare it is for any venue like the White Horse to survive nearly a century intact.
For now, the White Horse Inn's lease through 2029 gives Dingle room to maneuver, whether that means lining up partners to buy the building herself or finding another structure to keep the bar open for the long haul. What happens to the building — and who ultimately owns it — remains an open question as the listing circulates.
