Preserving LGBT Historic Sites in California

San Francisco folks & visitors: Looking forward to seeing many of you the evening of April 9 at The GLBT Historical Society Museum for a discussion of the brief history of the Castro District co-authored by Jen Reck and Gerard Koskovich, one of the administrators of Preserving LGBT Historic Sites in California.

They'll be joined by Tina V. Aguirre, author of the introduction and director the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District, which published the booklet, and Devin McGeehan Muchmore, an archivist at Historical Society, where the archives were central to our research.

Copies of the second printing of "The Castro" (which Gerard notes has a few typos corrected) will be available hot off the press and ready for signing.

San Francisco: The building that housed one of the city's longest-running gay erotic entertainment establishments is back on the market for sale or lease after the current owner abandoned plans for a mixed-use development project.

Located at 729 Bush St. between Powell and Mason streets in the Tendernob neighborhood, the structure was home to the Nob Hill Adult Theatre, one of the first establishments in the city to show gay p**n films starting circa 1968.

Over its five decades in business, the theater evolved to offer live s*x shows, a video arcade, glory-hole booths and other erotic services for a clientele that came from around the world.

During the era of p**no chic in the early 1980s, the owners of the Nob Hill even gave their basement apartment on the premises a fabulous makeover that landed a feature in the January 1982 issue of Architectural Digest magazine.

The Nob Hill Adult Theatre closed in 2018 when the owners retired, and the building has since stood vacant. For more stories about the history and about the current availability of the property, see the article in comments from The San Francisco Standard.

The booklet co-authored by Prof. Jen Reck and Gerard Koskovich (one of the administrators of Preserving LGBT Historic Sites in California) is now available not only at Fabulosa Books on Castro Street but also via mail order from the shop with shipping throughout the United States:

"The Castro: The Story of San Francisco's Best-Known LGBTQ+ Neighborhood" draws on original research using archives, oral histories, and primary and secondary sources to trace the emergence of this world-famous gayborhood back to the early 1950s.

Extensively illustrated, largely with never-before-reproduced images; published by the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District (2025); introduction by district director Tina V. Aguirre; 8" x 10"; perfect-bound illustrated wraps; 54 pages.

See link in comments for full details about online ordering.

San Francisco residents & visitors: Looking forward to seeing many of you tomorrow evening at the Castro Neighborhood History Night sponsored by San Francisco Planning and the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District.

Planning will present its work on Castro listings for SF Survey, the ongoing citywide cultural resources study — and I'll offer a 20-minute overview of the neighborhood LGBTQ+ history along with examples of sites that enable us to evoke that history.

We'll then look to all who attend to share your memories of the Castro as an LGBTQ+ neighborhood. Together, we can create a far richer and deeper story of the Castro and its meaning for locals and for people from around the world.

Tomorrow! You're invited to the Castro Neighborhood History Night! Join community partners and neighbors to share stories about important people, places, businesses and traditions in your neighborhood. Learn about ongoing historic preservation efforts by the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District and , and review in progress historic and cultural resource findings for the Castro Neighborhood Commercial Districts.
Tuesday, November 18, 6:00-7:30 PM
Eureka Valley Rec Center (100 Collingwood Street)
This event is free and light refreshments will be provided!
SF Survey is a multi-year program to identify and document places and resources of cultural, historical, and architectural importance to San Francisco’s diverse communities. Contact the SF Survey team at [email protected]

San Francisco: For the third time in less than a year, the California State Historical Resources Commission has tabled action on a nomination of the North Beach neighborhood for recognition as a historic district.

North Beach is known as the original center of San Francisco's Italian community, one of the city's largest immigrant populations of the late-19th to mid-20th centuries, but also, starting in the 1930s, as one of the first areas to feature a concentration of le***an and gay nightlife.

One of the authors of the nomination is Shayne Watson, co-administrator of Preserving LGBT Historic Sites in California. In a new column for 48 Hills, she casts a sharp light on the behind-the-scenes forces that are aiming to derail establishment of the historic district:

"State Senator Scott Wiener, newly elected Mayor Daniel Lurie, and District 3 Supervisor Danny Sauter have decided that historic preservation — especially preservation rooted in q***r, immigrant, and working-class history — doesn’t serve their political calculus. Their donor-driven, deregulation-first agenda has no room for cultural memory. Only demolition, speculation, and vertical profit."

See link in comments for the full article.

PHOTOS

Mona's in North Beach opened in 1933 as San Francisco's first le***an bar. The waiters were women dressed as men, a feature the bar highlighted with its slogan, "Where Girls Will Be Boys!"

Upper Left: Mona's ashtray. Collection of JD Doyle courtesy of Q***r Music Heritage.

Upper Right: Mona's in the mid-1930s. A banner advertises the appearance of Gladys Bentley, a celebrated African American blues singer who performed in men's evening wear. Photo: Courtesy of The GLBT Historical Society.

Bottom: The location of Mona's as it now appears. Photo: Watson Heritage Consulting.