Irwin Held

Irwin Held (July 1, 1925 - June 17, 2013) was an American restaurateur, known for being a longtime owner of Barney's Beanery through years 1970 and 1999. Held was born in The Bronx, New York in 1925. In 1970, he moved to Santa Monica, California and was promoted to an owner by BB founder, John Anthony. Held was told by Anthony to cover the restaurant with anti-gay signs to insist that gays weren't welcome to the restaurant, Anthony's restaurant was regularly raided by police and he was fined for allowing gays into his restaurant and strongly suggested Held didn't welcome homosexual activity into the restaurant for the same cause. Held suffered the consequences and was constantly bothered by gay rights activists. His Santa Monica Blvd restaurant was also famous for attracting rock musicians such as Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin.