Irwin Held
Irwin Held (July 1, 1925 – June 17, 2013) was an American restaurateur, known for being a longtime owner of Barney's Beanery, a famous West Hollywood "beer-and-burger" restaurant, holding the establishment from 1970 to 1999. Held was born in The Bronx, New York in 1925, and following service in the Marines, he moved to Los Angeles in 1950.[1] He took ownership of Barney's Beanery in 1970, two years after the death of its founder John Anthony. Held faced picketing and protest over his continued display of a sign over the bar that read “Fagots Stay Out”, purportedly posted by Anthony following a police raid of the restaurant's bathrooms in the 1940s. The introduction of an anti-discrimination ordinance in 1985 finally forced the reluctant Held to remove the sign under threat of fine.[1] The restaurant was also famous for attracting rock musicians and stars including Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin.[2] Held sold the restaurant in 1999, and died in 2013 of natural causes, survived by two daughters, a son and four grandchildren.[1]
References[]
- ^ a b c "Irwin Held dies at 87; longtime owner of Barney's Beanery". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
- ^ "Irwin Held, former Barney's Beanery owner, dies at 87". WeHo Ville. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
 | This biographical article about a foodie, restaurateur or gourmand is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by . |
- 1925 births
- 2013 deaths
- American restaurateurs
- People from the Bronx
- People from Santa Monica, California
- Businesspeople from New York City
- Businesspeople from California
- 20th-century American businesspeople
- United States Marines
- Food biography stubs