TENDERLOIN HISTORY
To really understand the Tenderloin, you have to understand its history. For decades, the Tenderloin has been a place where history and culture collide, and where generations of people have gotten their start on California’s northern coast.
Tucked in downtown San Francisco’s urban setting, the Tenderloin is a place of new opportunities and second chances. Each population that has inhabited the Tenderloin has brought its own sense of community, culture, and cuisine.
IF YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND THE TENDERLOIN…
HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS:
1917
San Francisco’s golden age of vice, with gambling dens, speakeasies, bordellos, and a historical sex worker protest of 1917.
1949-63
Legendary venue Blackhawk Jazz Club where greats like Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Dave Brubeck, John Coltrane, and Thelonious Monk played and recorded.
1966
The Tenderloin’s role as a center of LGBTQ activism and the first transgender district in the world included the 1966 Compton’s Cafeteria Riot, the first recorded militant uprising by the queer community against police harassment in US history.
Golden Brains
By BIP Graffiti on Staypineapple Hotel in the Tenderloin
GLOBAL ROOTS
Immigrant stories of struggle and success, as people from around the world, have gotten their start on U.S. soil in the Tenderloin.
WALLY HEIDER STUDIOS
Recording studio Wally Heider Studios, now called Hyde Street Studios, where the Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jefferson Airplane, Tupac, Green Day, Cake, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and Train crafted albums that changed music forever.
WE’VE GOT IT ALL
The Tenderloin’s rich present-day community is reflected in live music and theatre performances, film screenings, lectures, local artist exhibitions, poetry nights, and globally-inspired cuisine.
PLANNING YOUR VISIT TO THE TENDERLOIN:
The small businesses of the Tenderloin are excited to welcome guests to our eclectic neighborhood. As in any urban environment, being cautious and alert will help make your time in the district as safe as possible.
Our approach to safety is inspired by the common humanity we share in public places.
Read more for helpful tips on parking and personal safety. (PDF)
PUBLIC TRANSIT
The Tenderloin is a five-minute walk from either Powell or Civic Center BART and Muni Metro Stations. We are also located near SFMTA bus lines: historic F streetcar, Famous SF Cable Car, 5, 8, 30, 31, 38, 47 and 49.
BY BICYCLE
The Civic Center BART station offers secured, indoor racks that are available for public use (even if you’re not riding BART). (Bike Link for lockers — likely in Union Square)
BY CAR
The closest parking garages are:
EZ Public Parking (333 Jones St)
Turk Street Garage (175 Turk St)
BY MUNI
Muni-Lines Serving Tenderloin: 38
