Eagle is a legacy brand that’s helped shape the leather scene in countless cities. Eagle Wilton Manors carries on that tradition in South Florida, along with its fellow leather bar, Ramrod.

Now, in a back-to-the-future move, a third bar wants to enter the fray. Alan Kachin is trying to gather support to bring back Eagle Fort Lauderdale. He’s started a private Facebook group, Fort Lauderdale Eagle. It’s mostly posts encouraging people to support and updating progress.

Longtime residents of Greater Fort Lauderdale say Kachin once owned an Eagle in Fort Lauderdale, but that was decades ago. Now, no one is sure if he still even owns a liquor license.

Recent posts say Kachin’s new bar is coming in early 2024, but also say he is still searching multiple properties.

Kachin hasn’t responded to OutSFL’s request for comment. However, in one post, he describes the history of leather bars and how it dovetails with his own experience.

“Why is the Eagle name sacred to me? The first Eagle opened in New York City as the Eagles Nest (a bar for longshoremen) in 1931. The Eagle NYC opened in 1970. I came into this lifestyle at 18 years old in 1960. At that point, practically everything in the homosexual lifestyle was illegal. Once the New York City Eagle opened bars throughout the world ... and created an ethic of leather. A leather bar where men could mingle with other men in a lifestyle of honor, respect, dignity, and hierarchy.”

He also gave an interview to Art Smith’s Gay Barchives two years ago.

Throwing Shade?

While we know the who and what, Kachin hasn’t answered the when, where, and, most importantly, why?

Kachin’s proposed Eagle seems tinged with anger or, at least, frustration with the evolving leather community. He posted, “Over the years, many of the bars changed ownership and lost sight of the original Eagle concept. This is my purpose in the reopening of the Fort Lauderdale Eagle.”

The area’s leather community is very close. Ramrod and Eagle WM support each other’s events and are intentional in their leather brotherhood. It’s a brotherhood Kachin appears in no hurry to join.

“If you look at our Facebook page, you will see that we have nothing [to do] with any bars or clubs in Wilton Manors. Thumb through our pages and you [see] what an eagle represents: a real leather bar for real men, not a costume club.”

Legal Eagle

So far, Kachin’s efforts aren’t causing much concern in the leather community. Most people OutSFL talked with don’t like the tone, they don’t see a new Eagle in SoFlo’s future.

Eagle is not a franchise, and each is independently owned. Though there are no “corporate standards” to adhere to, most Eagles have the same vibe.