Co-owner of the Faultline Bar, Ruby De Fresno, has finally conceded and confirmed our report that the beloved Faultline Bar located at 4216 Melrose Avenue has indeed closed for good at its home location, and she admits that the bar is currently looking for a new home somewhere else.
De Fresno, who is actually listed as Ruby J. Nuno in the bar’s liquor license, told Q Voice News that the Faultline will no longer be at the location where it was founded for the past 26 years (they cleared out in late 2020) and De Fresno is negotiating a new lease, possibly in Silver Lake.
“It was a difficult decision,” she told Q Voice. “It was a decision to keep the business alive. Rent had something to do with it. We were hoping to stay, but it didn’t work out.”
Ruby De Fresno stated the contrary after WEHO TIMES broke the story that the bar was gone for good at the Melrose Avenue location. In two false statements under the fake name Ruby De Faultline, De Fresno vehemently denied the bar’s closure, stating, “The Faultline Bar is still in business,” and “Statements describing the Faultline and its exit from Melrose Avenue in the Weho Times’ story are factually incorrect.”
The bar’s owner is now backtracking and admitting what WEHO TIMES originally reported on January 17, 2021. The old queer space everyone is familiar with is very much in fact gone and she is hoping to bring a new Faultline to a different venue.
De Fresno has also finally confirmed our report that the Faultline space had been cleared out of all the erotic art, signage and neon lights as a result of the closure.
She told Q News that before leaving, she had the iconic interior decor, including the illuminated phallus, removed for safekeeping at its future home.
“All the interior decor and artwork is in storage,” De Fresno said. “The neon penis, neon clock, and other historic items are being preserved, including the larger-than-life, iconic Faultline leather men art pieces.”
Unfortunately, the iconic outdoor signage sat inside the bar for weeks before it was thrown in the trash by the new co-owner of the space.
WEHO TIMES’ readers and loyal patrons of the bar were saddened to read our report that the bar on Melrose was gone. Then they were incensed when the bar’s owner stated that our report on the bar’s closure was false. The backlash following the bar’s statement was immediate and naturally, with the flick of a lie, we became “fake news” over night. Although Ruby De Fresno has yet to officially retract her statements and to strike another falsehood she told her followers about WEHO TIMES reporting the closure of the Gym Bar incorrectly to discredit and cancel this publication, finally getting honest with Q News is a move in the right direction. It removes all false hope that Faultline is still in business at 4216 Melrose Avenue.
Founded in 1994, the iconic Faultline Bar was known for its indoor and outdoor bars with a large outdoor patio area. It featured a mix of themed nights, go-go boys, DJs, live performances, outdoor parking lot events, and a long-standing Sunday beer bust destination known to attract upwards of 600 participants. The bar’s liquor license is set to expire on March 31, 2021.
According to the Los Feliz Ledger, the Faultline space was a venue called the Red Rouge in the early 1960s, owned by Judy Garland’s, then husband, Sid Luft. Legend has it that as the concrete floor was being laid down, the star put her handprint and signed her name on the cement slab behind the bar back in 1963.
Judy’s handprint and autograph has been at this historical location for the past 58 years. The new owner has not been able to locate Judy’s handprint, but he says he recognizes its historical value and plans to preserve it and have it continue to be part of the bar’s history.
The Red Rouge morphed into the The Stud, a Levi/leather cruise bar from 1974 to 1988, and then morphed into Griff’s, before it became the legendary Faultline Bar in 1994.
The former queer space faces some major changes in 2021. The new owner has some wild ideas for the new space. He told WEHO TIMES it will no longer be gay.
Editor’s note: Ruby De Fresno has not returned several emails requesting a call for comment.
She was not a good business person at all & got rid of long term employees that customers liked when she took over. She changed the legendary atmosphere making it uncomfortable with a security guard walking around inside with a flashlight.
It will no longer be gay? What if only gays show up? You won’t be taking their money?
You use the word iconic four times. Enough, already. There are other adjectives.
HAH!!! True. But to be fair, two of those are iconic’s were take from quotes, so technically I only used two.
y’all gonna get sued lmao
Y’all are dumb. A judge will ask lying Ruby whatever her last name is if the bar is open or closed. She’ll say ‘we’re moving to a new home’ and the judge will ask her again ‘is the bar open or closed, yes or no, and she’ll say, ‘we’re still in business, working on a new deal’ and the judge will ask her again is the bar open or closed? The bar is closed. Why argue with the truth? Y’all are so dumb sticking up for a pathological liar lmao!
Mr Murillo is a failed community blogger that leverages rumors and opinions as fact to drive clicks for his failed column.
We encourage the WehoTimes to move Mr Murillo to an administration role in sales vs posting inaccurate articles or biased content.
And yet the truth remains. The bar is closed.
I like him & his initial report was correct
Thank you Mr. Murillo for the follow up. It’s somewhat insane that their original statement called Weho Times liars when there was nothing contradictory in their “explanation”. WT reported they closed, which they did, and will no longer be at their Melrose location, which is true. Maybe Faultline was mad that there was no indication in the article of them looking for a new space? But that still doesn’t mean anything in the original breaking article was untruthful.
Had Weho Times reporting been more professional and articulated something to the effect that “THOSE LOCATIONS are no longer around, but we don’t know about the future of the businesses–we’re waiting to hear back from the respective owners” this wouldn’t have happened. One time, fine a mistake. Twice? Sloppy. So while not fake news, it’s misleading and you brought this on yourselves.