THE NEW FILLMORE reports on the events, people and places in one of San Francisco’s most vibrant neighborhoods — where the Fillmore meets Pacific Heights and Japantown.
Founding editor and publisher David Ish published Volume 1, Number 1, of the New Fillmore in May 1986. The name was a bit of a joke. The Fillmore had forever been reinventing itself, from its roots as a Jewish neighborhood at the turn of the 20th century, then a Japanese neighborhood after the 1906 earthquake, then the Harlem of the West after the war, when the New Fillmore Hotel and the New Fillmore Theater were in business. Rock and roll came to the Fillmore Auditorium and Winterland in the ’60s. Then redevelopment ripped up the neighborhood and displaced many of its residents.
The ’80s brought another new era as upper Fillmore Street began to gentrify into a bustling shopping and dining district, and the surrounding area became an ever more desirable place to live. The New Fillmore newspaper was a part of that renaissance. In the new millennium, as Fillmore Street became a coveted location for international fashion and cosmetics brands, many of the one-of-a-kind shops and essential services that made it unique were squeezed out. The street, in some ways, became a victim of its own success.
Yet this neighborhood remains a wonderful place to live, with a rich history, a vibrant economy and many tales to tell.
We welcome your comments and suggestions. Write to:
editors@newfillmore.com