Charleston, W.Va. -- The now-empty Quarrier Diner is up for sale, and the Tap Room, long a meeting place for gay men in the same building, has closed.

"It's been a gay bar since long before most of us were born," said Robert Sheets, who managed the bar since 1999, when the diner shut down. "It was always a place where men could go to meet other men."

The Tap Room operated in the basement of the Quarrier Diner in downtown Charleston until 2003, when the fire marshal said that it couldn't run there without a sprinkler, Sheets said. The Tap Room went up into the old diner for two years, until the air conditioning there failed. It operated on the building's second floor after that, spilling over into the diner for special events.

The bar was marginally profitable enough to keep going, Sheets said. But with the future uncertain, and the liquor license needing to be renewed, Sheets called it quits June 30. Toward the end, 20 or 30 people would come on a weekday evening, more on weekends.

The Art Deco building dates from the 1930s, Sheets said.

The Quarrier Diner and later the Tap Room drew cross-sections of people to eat, drink and socialize for decades, said Greg Proctor, who tended bar there from 2002 to 2007.

Once the Empire closed in the mid-1980s on Lee Street across from the post office, "the Tap Room began its life as a gay bar," Proctor said. "It had always been gay-friendly."

It was the unofficial bar for the Charleston Light Opera Guild, where actors relaxed after rehearsals and where many of those associated with the show waited for the Gazette's review on opening night.

Charleston, W.Va. -- The now-empty Quarrier Diner is up for sale, and the Tap Room, long a meeting place for gay men in the same building, has closed.

"It's been a gay bar since long before most of us were born," said Robert Sheets, who managed the bar since 1999, when the diner shut down. "It was always a place where men could go to meet other men."

The Tap Room operated in the basement of the Quarrier Diner in downtown Charleston until 2003, when the fire marshal said that it couldn't run there without a sprinkler, Sheets said. The Tap Room went up into the old diner for two years, until the air conditioning there failed. It operated on the building's second floor after that, spilling over into the diner for special events.

The bar was marginally profitable enough to keep going, Sheets said. But with the future uncertain, and the liquor license needing to be renewed, Sheets called it quits June 30. Toward the end, 20 or 30 people would come on a weekday evening, more on weekends.

The Art Deco building dates from the 1930s, Sheets said.

The Quarrier Diner and later the Tap Room drew cross-sections of people to eat, drink and socialize for decades, said Greg Proctor, who tended bar there from 2002 to 2007.

Once the Empire closed in the mid-1980s on Lee Street across from the post office, "the Tap Room began its life as a gay bar," Proctor said. "It had always been gay-friendly."

It was the unofficial bar for the Charleston Light Opera Guild, where actors relaxed after rehearsals and where many of those associated with the show waited for the Gazette's review on opening night.

The basement had always housed the bar, which was once called a gentlemen's smoking club. Proctor said. "It was an out-of-the-way place. People could go there and disappear into the building. And that worked on a lot of different levels.

"It was a very special place to me," Proctor said. "To other people, it was just a dark, smoky place and they couldn't get out of it fast enough."

Rain had seeped into the basement, causing water damage, Proctor said.

Harriet Hoy, daughter of ailing building owner Charlie Young, said she thought the building could be saved. Potential buyers have shown some interest, she said.

"We'd love to see someone put something into it and turn it back into an eatery. A lot of people would love to go back in there and eat in one of the old booths."

The Ott Building, also owned by the Young family, and the adjacent driveway fall within the footprint of the Kanawha County Public Library's proposed new library, said Mike Albert, president of the library's governing board.

The Quarrier Diner is a historic building that will have its defenders, Albert said, adding that the property is not essential to the library project.

Reach Bob Schwarz at bobschw...@wvgazette.com or 348-1249.