FLORIDA: Orlando's Parliament House Nightclub/Hotel Declares Bankruptcy

Orlando's legendary/infamous Parliament House, where I made my first tentative steps into a gay bar on April 18th, 1976*, has declared bankruptcy. Via the Orlando Sentinel:

Parliament House, a gay resort and entertainment complex, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Friday citing $15.5 million in debt. The 4.5-acre complex defaulted on loans during the recession in 2009 and has been locked into a foreclosure and refinancing battle since then, said bankruptcy attorney Scott Shuker. “It’s clearly the intent of Parliament House to continue operating and restructure its debts, but we just couldn’t reach agreement with two secured lenders,” Shuker said. The resort is approaching its 40th anniversary. Businessman Donald Granatstein and Susan Unger, both of Toronto, have owned Parliament House for 15 years. Shuker said the business suffered cashflow problems in 2009. Both lenders that held mortgages also went under during the recession. The complex is about 1.5 miles west of downtown Orlando along Orange Blossom Trail.

As any Orlando resident will tell you, the Parliament House has swung between wildly popular and closing-at-any-minute many, many times over the decades. I'm guessing that its current woes are probably related to the failed gay timeshare complex that the owners planned for the adjacent property. (Via Towleroad)

*The drinking age at that time was 18 so it was not terribly uncommon to find high schoolers (like me) in nightclubs.

RELATED: The Parliament House's iconic neon sign is considered an Orlando landmark and the one pictured above is actually a 2004 almost-replica of the 1960 original, which was destroyed by Hurricane Charley. As you can see from the late 70s postcard below, the original sign read "MOTOR INN" not "RESORT."

FLORIDA: HIV-Positive Man Arrested After Alleged Rape At Orlando Gay Hotel

Orlando police say they've arrested an HIV-positive man after he allegedly raped a male patron in a hotel room at the famed Parliament House.

Kenneth Creuzer, 48, told investigators the door to the man's room was open, so he walked in and assaulted him as he lay on his stomach, a police report states. Leaving a door ajar and the blinds open while lying facedown is known as an invitation to sex, Creuzer told investigators. The man told officers he was asleep about 3:05 p.m. when he heard someone come in and assumed it was his boyfriend. When he realized it was not, he began to punch Creuzer, who ran out of the room, according to the report. Creuzer and the man are strangers, and Creuzer was not a guest at the motel, which is part of a resort that includes bars, a restaurant, pool parties and female-impersonator shows. Parliament House, at 410 N. Orange Blossom Trail, calls itself "the gayest place on Earth" and "a gay landmark" on its website.

The suspect has been charged with sexual battery and failing to disclose his HIV status. The long-popular Parliament House has been an alternately beloved and notorious Florida destination for tourists since it converted into a gay hotel in 1975.

Parliament House In Foreclosure

Orlando's Parliament House, my first ever gay bar (back when dinosaurs ruled the Earth) is facing foreclosure and heading into receivership.

Houston-based Southwest Guaranty Ltd. and Compass Bank of Alabama initiated foreclosure actions against the property on North Orange Blossom Trail in July over a $7.5 million mortgage that matured at the end of 2009. Attorneys for the creditors said Monday they expect it will taken over this week by a court-appointed receiver, which would continue the club's operations under court orders. Entrepreneur Donald Granastein and his wife purchased it in 1999 and have operated it since then. The couple have been credited with renovating and reinvigorating the somewhat-faded landmark on the western edge of downtown. Granastein said Monday he didn't have the money to repay the note when it came due. He added that he holds the liquor license and expects to continue operating it, even under a receiver. "Am I happy with this? That's a big no," he said. "But I'm stuck with whatever happens, and we will be open 100 percent."

The Parliament House is inarguably the most famous gay business in the entire south and has been for three decades. I really cannot imagine an Orlando without it. I hope it survives somehow.