News from the Heart & Soul of San Francisco
Chase — formerly Chase Manhattan Bank and now the consumer banking unit of JP Morgan Chase — hopes to open a new branch bank at 2429 California Street. At a neighborhood meeting on September 27, representatives of the bank presented plans for a banking office fronted by a secure ATM lobby next door to Mollie…
“THIS IS THE GHETTO. You gotta carry a gun.” So Ruth Dewson was told when she opened Mrs. Dewson’s Hats on Fillmore Street. For decades she has been the unofficial mayor of Fillmore Street. But she has been missing from the neighborhood in recent months, sidelined by ill health. We caught up with her at…
The legendary poem “Howl” — which had its premiere on Fillmore Street in 1955 and is now the subject of a film showing at the Sundance Kabuki — was 29-year-old Allen Ginsberg’s first published work. But it instantly established him as a vital new voice for rapidly changing times. It all began on what Jack…
By Thomas Reynolds Discussions between Clay Theater owner Balgobind Jaiswal and the San Francisco Film Society began last December after Landmark Theatres decided it could no longer afford to continue to operate the venerable theater, which has been showing films on Fillmore Street for 100 years. The lease had actually expired two years earlier. “The…
The owner of the Clay Theater has invited leaders of the San Francisco Film Society to meet on September 13 to resume discussions about the Film Society’s desire to lease the historic Fillmore art house. Graham Leggat, executive director of the society, said he is eager to proceed. “It’s certainly progress,” Leggat said. “It’s a…
By Mark J. Mitchell You may have read recently that New York author Pete Hamill’s new book is going straight to digital format, skipping print altogether. But the Fillmore’s own Arthur Bloomfield has beaten him to it. Bloomfield latest book, “More Than the Notes,” made its debut online a few weeks ago and is available…
Q & A | ARTHUR BLOOMFIELD What motivated you to write “More Than the Notes,” your new e-book on legendary conductors of the 19th century? When I was 11, my mother started taking me downtown once a month to the White House department store. It was where Banana Republic is now. Up on the fourth…
With the opening of a number of new restaurants, Union Street is showing signs of recovery from the economic doldrums that led to a spate of shuttered shops on the street. But a new group of young residents and business owners says more aggressive change is needed in the neighborhood, and has formed the Union…
By Anne Paprocki Big changes are in store for Frankie’s Bohemian Cafe, the bar and restaurant at the corner of Divisadero and Pine that has been a local favorite for nearly two decades, known for its big beers, giant burgers, Czech flair and casual atmosphere. Soon the mugs of Krusovice beer and bar fare will…
SALOONS | Chris Barnett Fillmore hotspot Harry’s is headed for a change. It’s not a facelift; the design and decor still look fresh after a quarter century of civilized salooning and dining in the daytime and ear-splitting revelry at night. Instead, the cocktail culture is getting an update by mixologist Michael Callahan, who heads a…