KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Its neon lights welcomes visitors to the heart of Westport. The Fountain Haus calls itself the largest "queer and ally spaces" in the region.
"It’s elevated to a point that anyone can come, anyone can be here [and] they can experience anything," Ryan Overberg, managing partner and operating director of Fountain Haus said.
It's a concept two years in the making.
Its name is a nod to Kansas City's nickname "City of Fountains" and the space aims to be for the LGBTQIA+ community.
"We switched to the German spelling 'family', that has more of a history in the queer world, because that family, that was your safe space," Overberg said. "If your blood family didn't like you, you could go to the bars, meet your people and come together."
Customers can dive into any of the four unique spaces: the Pump Room, The Cube, the rooftop Pool Deck and The Siren Lounge, spanning the three floors of the building at the corner of Westport and Broadway.
The Siren Lounge will open later in the fall of 2022.
"We don't have any fountains, but we're putting the good energy to the fountains and all throughout the city," Overberg said. "So this is the pump room. It's pumping all that good energy throughout the space and everywhere else."
Kole Wright attended a private event at Fountain Haus on Thursday and was excited about the new space opening.
"I love the location, I think this is a fantastic location. I know it’s kind of in between the other two bars, but it’s in Westport," Wright said. "It’s where everybody is going to be, I think it’s just a fantastic place to be."
Hamburger Mary's, up the road on Broadway, is one of those two bars Wright is referring to.
Owner Jeff Edmondson told KSHB 41 News it's welcoming to see another LGBTQIA+ bar open in Kansas City and customers agree.
"I do think we need more places like this just to enrich the community as a whole," Roxie Von Coven, a customer at Hamburger Mary’s said. "It really means everything to the LGBT community, having somewhere where they can feel comfortable being themselves, it’s an indescribable feeling."
Fountain Haus hopes to be a landmark for the queer and ally community.
"It’s about time. You see #ally and #gayrights transrights, so being in the middle of such a diversified community is something that I think is truly needed," Sedrick Hamilton, who stopped by Fountain Haus said.
Fountain Haus has hired its own security team to keep patrons safe.
The venue has their grand opening on Friday night.
