Hap opened the Bonham Exchange in 1981 inside historic Turner Hall, across from the Alamo. The project joined historic reuse with a nightlife concept intended to welcome a broad public.
Architecture and celebration
The building’s scale gave the club a theatrical quality unlike a typical bar. Over time, the Bonham became one of the city’s best-known LGBTQ institutions while continuing Hap’s preference for spaces where different communities could mix.
An enduring legacy
The Bonham’s survival makes it one of the clearest living links to Hap’s work. It also became home to the Happy Foundation, named in his honor.