Slinging burgers till 4am since any San Franciscan can remember, Grubstake is among Polk Gulch's original LGBT-owned businesses. (Courtesy of @grubstakesf)
Before the Castro, Polk Gulch was San Francisco's Gayborhood
11 January 2018
Before the Castro became the gay mecca for the entire United States, Polk Gulch, centered around Polk Street, was the hub for the LGBT community.
Sure, gay bars quietly existed in other parts of the city—in the Tenderloin and North Beach—but Polk Gulch was the first neighborhood where gay-owned daytime establishments, such as restaurants and clothing stores, opened and catered directly to the LGBT community.
Take a twirl through Polk Gulch during the 1960s and '70s, its heyday as the epicenter of San Francisco's LGBT world.
Christmas on Polk Strasse
(via Preserving LGBT Historic Sites in California/Facebook)
A full-page ad in the December 1968 issue of Vector magazine promoted gay-owned businesses that were located on Polk Street, which was sometimes called Polk Strasse (for street, in German). See something you recognize? That's right, the much-beloved late-night diner and diva hangout Grubstake still remains today.
▲'Life' Features The Jumpin' Frog
(via Life/OutHistory.org)
A now-famous June 1964 article in Life magazine titled "Homosexuality in America" turned the spotlight on San Francisco, the nation's gay capital. In the photo above, the story also captured the nightlife at Polk Street gay bar The Jumping Frog, once located at Polk and Broadway Streets.
▲The Gangway
(via munchies.vice.com)
Located at 841 Larking St. in the 'hood we now call the Tendernob, The Gangway has the distinction of being the oldest operating gay bar in San Francisco, having opened in 1910. The dive bar beloved by Vice came out as a gay bar in 1961.
▲Cinch Saloon
(via Cinch Saloon)
The self-proclaimed "last standing gay bar" on Polk Street, Cinch Saloon is the second-oldest continuously operating gay bar in the city. Full of history, Cinch Saloon also takes its western facade from the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition, where a big part of Polk Street was transformed into an Old West–style town and merchants all played a part.
▲The Town Squire
(via Historypin)
Located at 1318 Polk Street, The Town Squire was a popular clothing store opened by couple Terry Popek and August Territo in 1962. Check out this vintage news footage from the store here.
▲The Casual Man
(via Preserving LGBT Historic Sites in California/Facebook)
Located at 2060 Polk Street, The Casual Man was another gay-owned clothing store in Polk Gulch.
▲The Pride Parade
(via Jerry Pritkin/Hoodline)
The first San Francisco Pride Parade took place on Polk Street on June 28, 1970. These photos of the parade were taken on Polk in 1976.
▲Polk Street Gentrification
via Pinterest
Like many areas of SF, Polk Street seen its share of gentrification over the years, changing the fabric of the neighborhood. This gentrification map was created by Gay Shame SF, a radical gay activist group.
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