Empire Building

The Bar on Church Changing Hands, Joins the Bloodhound/Double Dutch Empire

Photo: Kevin Y./Yelp

The bar beside the J-Church stop at 14th Street once known as The Transfer (198 Church) — which Castro bar impresario Greg Bronstein (Lime, Trigger) transformed into The Bar on Church in early ‘09 — appears to be changing hands again. Something had been rumored to be going on with the BOC for a while, and new owners Mike Goebel, Darin Brunson, and Anthony Healy-London (Bloodhound in SoMa and Double Dutch in the Mission) have now put in for a liquor license for the space, with a new name TBA. The BOC was Bronstein’s effort to capitalize on the popularity of his former Bar on Castro, which is now Qbar and under new ownership, but it hasn’t been as consistently busy as the more rough-and-tumble Transfer once was, despite efforts to attract a younger and occasionally lesbian clientele with things like 50-cent PBRs.

There’s still no word from the new team regarding their concept or plans for the space, and the deal with Bronstein may not be finalized. But given the track record of Bloodhound and Double Dutch, we can guess at the outset that they’ll be removing the stripper poles and silver-padded walls, aiming for a more mixed crowd, and likely upping the ante, cocktail-wise, to compete with nearby lounges The Residence and Blackbird.

The Bar on Church remains open until further notice. More details as they emerge.

The Bar on Church Changing Hands, Joins the Bloodhound/Double Dutch Empire