A year ago, Allen Hitch Jr. died at age 81, threatening the future of one of San Diego’s most beloved arts and cultural spaces. Inherited from his father, a former politician and North Park businessman, Hitch owned the building at 3925 Ohio St. since the 1990s. It has been the home of Queen Bee’s Arts and Cultural Center for the past 16 years. Although his health had declined some and Queen Bee’s owner Alma Rodriguez had stepped in to care for him, his death was still a shock.  

“That changed my whole entire life,” Rodriguez told a press conference at Queen Bee’s. “[Hitch] was not only my mentor, but he became my father figure.” 

Ronald Schottland recently bought the building for $2.3 million amid a legal dispute between Hitch’s heirs, Rodriguez and Schottland, who is a former tenant of the building. The sale means a regional hub for artists has to find a new location, likely somewhere outside the neighborhood.  

Already, San Diego artists lost a huge supporter in Hitch and fear losing the venue too. Even if Queen Bee’s moves and its magic is recreated, North Park will have lost one of its only community gather spaces. 

“Any type of art that you can imagine happens here within these walls, and it’s one of the last spaces where that can exist in this neighborhood,” said poet Rudy Francisco at the press conference. He hosts a monthly poetry slam at the venue that has produced national and international champions. “There are so many spaces that aren’t interested in having a poetry slam because they’re like, ‘What kind of money is that going to bring?’ But Alma… [says] to herself, there is something more important than money here.” 

Hitch, who was described by friends as caring deeply about his father’s legacy, saw Queen Bee’s as the fulfillment of his father’s dreams to turn the building into a community center, something he did not achieve in his lifetime. Allen Hitch Sr. was a former San Diego city council member and North Park Business Association president who owned the property after Dixieline sold it in 1957. It hosted a variety of businesses, starting with Allen’s House of Carpet, in the decades since, according to North Park Historical Society.  

By the time Rodriguez leased it, the 8,000 square foot two-story brick and wooden building with a steep-pitched roof was in disrepair. She renovated the building and converted it into the events center known today. Hitch, who loved to dance, began to attend all of Queen Bee’s events and developed a close relationship with Rodriguez.  

“The potential demolition of the building is very sad. North Park has surprisingly few community gathering spaces and what Alma created is lovely,” said Katherine Hon, secretary of the North Park Historical Society. While North Park has become a trendy neighborhood known for its breweries, eateries and shopping destinations attracting crowds, it has few cultural centers. Across the street, the 800-seat Observatory is too large a venue for many of the small artists who can try something new, fail, and try again at Queen Bee’s. 

While at this point Rodriguez is resigned to finding a new location for the arts and cultural center, she wants to keep a promise to Hitch. “My only effort [is] to fulfill the promise that I made Mr. Hitch… to not let someone tear down this beautiful building,” Rodriguez said. “And not only is [this] history for North Park, but it’s also the legacy of Mr. Hitch and the legacy of Queen Bee’s.” 

She is working on applying to San Diego’s Historical Resources Board for an historic designation for the building which was constructed in 1931 by the Dixie Lumber and Supply Company (today’s Dixieline). Getting a consultant to research the history of the building costs around $15,000, which Rodriguez is fundraising for in addition to moving costs. This would ensure the new owners preserved the exterior of the building, which includes two gabled dormers facing the street, even if its interior becomes retail and housing space.  

Schottland, the new owner, pledged to fight the historical designation. He plans on tearing down the building and converting it to 1,500 square feet of retail with 18 town homes, according to the U-T.  

“I get it. We need housing, places for people to live. But I feel like this is also where people come to live— maybe not go to sleep, wake up, brush your teeth, use the toilet, whatever. But to live out your soul,” said 21-year North Park resident Lorena Romero-Cabra.

She discovered Queen Bee’s like many people: by walking through the neighborhood and hearing live music. She stumbled inside and has since become a mainstay in the community, attending events from Beatles festivals and pick-up jazz concerts, to exercise classes and dances. Line dances are a popular weekly event at the venue that attracts mostly North Park residents. Queen Bee’s supporters fear a new location would not have the same foot traffic appeal or be so centrally located. “I could bring my kids and we could learn to dance. It was all ages, and I didn’t have to worry about alcohol and things like that,” dance enthusiast Kristy Guerrerro said.  

Another friend of Rodriguez, Kate Morrissey, said she told Rodriguez years ago she wanted to find a space for women to practice break dancing, which is frequently male-dominated. Rodriguez suggested Queen Bee’s but Morrissey knew the small dance community would not be able to afford it. Rodriguez insisted she use the space anyway. At annual breaking shows, whatever the bgirls made at the door is what they paid to practice for the next year. “There was never a specific amount that she charged us. It was just whatever we made. And I think that really illustrates what Alma has done for all of us. She’s a maker of dreams,” Morrissey said.  

Rodriguez is also known for supporting freedom of expression in addition to helping artists who cannot pay for a venue. Romero-Cabra, who owns Pole Buzz, struggled for years to find spaces to teach pole dancing classes because of the associated stigma with strip clubs and sex work. After a studio fell through again, Rodriguez offered to have her conduct all classes at Queen Bee’s, which she has done since 2019.  

For UCSD grad Ryan Rickey, Queen Bee’s epitomizes the reasons he chose to stay in San Diego after graduation. In 2019, Queen Bee’s stage was the first place he ever performed. The stage changed his life and shaped his desire to be a musician. “It’s a magical place,” he told the press conference. Novice concerts and open mics attract younger crowds to what is described as a safe place.  

“If I would have grown up with a place like Queen Bee’s as a teenager, this is where I would have been, for sure, and getting into a lot less trouble, frankly,” Romero-Cabra said.  

Rodriguez has promised to continue fighting for San Diego’s artists and Queen Bee’s, as well as Hitch’s, legacy.  

“Let’s be proud of Mr. Hitch, because without him, I probably don’t make it,” Rodriguez concluded at the press conference, voice cracking. “This world is full of greed and they don’t live for the right reasons. We are the community that we are, fighting, and we live for the true reasons of essence of life. So let’s keep on teaching this new generation what life is all about.”