In 1978, activists filed a series of lawsuits on environmental grounds which failed to halt the construction of the current Yerba Buena Park, convention center and museum complex. This strong community-based resistance to redevelopment efforts continued through the 1970s.
SIR worked in SoMa to protect the neighborhood’s residents. One major player was the Society for Individual Rights (SIR), the largest queer organization at the time. At the same time there was a large activist movement in the city to fight poverty.Image from LIFE Magazine depicting The Tool Box. More than ever, gays came flocking to the city. In 1964, Life magazine published an article called “Homosexuality in America,” profiling The Tool Box and cementing San Francisco and SoMa as the capital of gay deviance in the minds of many Americans. (which is, of all things, now a Whole Foods). The first leather bar in SoMawas The Tool Box, which opened in 1961 at 339 Fourth St. By the mid-1960s, SoMa emerged as a hub of the gay leather scene.Honky-tonks, whorehouses, and gambling dens were scattered throughout the area. San Francisco’s South of Market (SoMa) neighborhood (the epicenter of San Francisco’s gay leather scene and where Folsom Street Fair takes place) was a poor, working-class neighborhood where many single men resided.They landed back in the nation’s major port cities, contributing to the burgeoning gay populations in cities like New York, Chicago and San Francisco. In the 1940s, thousands of male servicemen were given “blue discharges” for homosexual conduct.Here’s a rundown of how the truly one-of-a-kind event came to be: To dig into the history of the Folsom Street Fair is to walk through the development of San Francisco from post-WWII port city to its current state, and weaves with it the narratives of gay rights, the war on poverty and the emergence of the leather and kink subculture. If you’ve never attended a Folsom Street Fair, you’ve surely seen photos. 29, 2019 Folsom Street in San Francisco between Eighth and 13th streets will close down to car traffic and welcome more than 400,000 people to the largest kink and leather event of its kind. The bar remains open after the dining room closes and features a late-night bar menu.On Sept. Walking distance to all downtown night clubs, hotels, theaters, and convention center. The Grill on the Alley Private Rooms are available for all your event needs from business meeting to rehearsal dinners. The Grill on the Alley continually strives for perfection, mixed with an ongoing effort to create new and exciting promotions for downtown diners. General Manager and Wine Director Philippe Azoulay paves the way in fine dining in downtown San Jose. The Grill on the Alley in San Jose was opened in 1998. Modeled after the renowned grills of New York, Chicago and San Francisco, The Grill on the Alley has sought to maintain the tradition of those fine old establishments by offering genuine timeless cuisine and attentive service in a familiar, dignified atmosphere.
The knowledgeable, friendly staff will guide you through the 500-plus wine offerings and extensive menu featuring Kobe Beef, USDA Prime Steaks, Fresh Seafood and American classics like Braised Short Ribs and Chicken Pot Pie. Hardwood floors, white table clothes, leather booths and white-jacketed waiters create a truly unique dining experience. Reminiscent of the dinner clubs of the 1940s, the warm and inviting ambience takes diners back to Rat Pack days.