San Francisco, CA — Today, Mayor London N. Breed and Supervisor Rafael Mandelman announced San Francisco has identified a permanent home for the GLBT Historical Society Museum and Archives in the heart of the Castro neighborhood. Mayor Breed and Supervisor Mandelman will introduce legislation this coming Tuesday to allow for 2280 Market Street to become a full-scale museum, archives, and research center.
Today's announcement is the result of years of collaboration between Mayor Breed’s Office, Supervisor Mandelman’s Office, the City’s Real Estate Division, the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, the San Francisco Arts Commission, and local non-profit partners, including the GLBT Historical Society.
In 2021, Mayor Breed dedicated $12.5M for the acquisition of a site of a future LGBTQ History Museum and in 2022, through the work of Senator Wiener, the State of California allocated an additional $5.5M to help make this project a reality.
“The Castro is the heart of LGBTQ culture in this City and this country, and it is the perfect place for a museum that will preserve and celebrate LGBTQ history, culture, and arts for generations to come,” said Mayor London Breed. “Finding this site took years of work and commitment, but we did not waver in finding a home that would honor San Francisco as a place that elevates our LGBTQ community and celebrates those who paved the way for us to have the freedoms we enjoy today. I’m honored to share this historic moment with Supervisor Mandelman, Senator Wiener, the GLBT Historical Society, the Community Arts Stabilization Trust and countless LGBTQ leaders who have advocated for this for decades. I want to thank all of those who have contributed to this monumental effort.”
On Friday at 10 a.m., Mayor Breed will join Supervisor Mandelman, Senator Wiener, City officials, as well as leaders from the GLBT Historical Society, Community Arts Stabilization Trust (CAST), and members of the LGBTQ community in San Francisco for the official community celebration to mark this new milestone.
“Mayor Breed deserves enormous credit for committing budget resources for this acquisition back in 2021 and preserving those funds in our City budget each year since then,” said Supervisor Rafael Mandelman. “During that time, we have explored a number of different sites in the Castro and beyond, had our hopes variously raised and dashed. In the end, I believe we have found an ideal location, in the heart of the Castro with space for the museum to make its permanent home now, and with plenty of room to expand in the future. Thanks to Senator Wiener, the museum will enter that space with a solid start on the fundraising that will be needed to make it the first-class celebration of LGBTQ history the Castro and the queer community deserve. The future of America’s best gayborhood is getting brighter all the time.”
Located in the intersection of Market and Noe streets, right next to the iconic and newly renovated Fisch & Flore restaurant, the property at 2280 Market Street consists of a 14,640 square foot parcel with a two-story, 22,330 square foot building, and a 33-space parking lot. The building's second floor will be vacant when acquired and will provide an approximately 11,165 square foot space for the upcoming museum.
The City anticipates that the GLBT Historical Society Museum and Archives will explore expanding into the ground floor space as current tenant leases expire over the course of the next several years. The current GLBT Historical Society Museum is located in the Castro at 4127 18th Street; the facility is one level and 1,660 square feet.
“It’s easy to forget what an indelible mark San Francisco’s LGBTQ community has left on the entire country,” said Senator Scott Wiener. “This Museum will ensure future generations can learn from that history for many years to come. We worked hard to obtain support for the Museum in the state budget, and I look forward to adding another new attraction to our thriving ecosystem of world-class San Francisco LGBTQ institutions.”
“Today, San Francisco is yet again making history,” said Roberto Ordeñana, Executive Director of the GLBT Historical Society. “This investment is more than the purchase of a building; it is about creating a home to share the lessons of LGBTQ and allied history that will be housed inside, led by trailblazers before us, activists who are with us today, and the leaders of the future that will ensure our stories, our struggles, and our hopes for a better tomorrow are forever understood. We wouldn’t have reached this historic milestone without the support of Mayor London Breed and so many community leaders who have long recognized the importance of creating a permanent home for the nation’s first museum of LGBTQ history and culture in the United States.”
“We applaud the determined and creative efforts of the City and the GLBT Historical Society to secure a permanent site for the museum and archives,” said Ken Ikeda, CEO of CAST. “It takes a village, and CAST is honored to partner in this much-needed endeavor, continuing the tremendous pre-development efforts of Community Vision and Ventura Partners. We believe in the preservation of community histories and culture, and sustaining the legacies of the LGBTQ+ community through a home for the museum speaks to our mission and excitement today.”
“This is a wonderful development for the GLBT Historical Society, the neighborhood and the City,” said Cleve Jones. “Mayor Breed and Supervisor Mandelman worked hard to make this happen and I am grateful for their efforts, as well as the dedication of the Society’s volunteers, Board and staff.”
Legislation to enter into a purchase and sale agreement will be introduced on October 1 and the Board of Supervisors must approve the agreement before the City can officially acquire the site. Once acquired, the City will enter into a lease agreement with the GLBT Historical Society and CAST, a community-centered, arts and culture-focused real estate organization that works to secure and steward affordable spaces for non-profit arts and culture organizations in San Francisco.
The City will establish a public-private partnership with the GLBT Historical Society and CAST for the purposes of managing and operating the property, the assumed leases, and the museum; The Real Estate Division will lease the property. The lease and sublease agreements are anticipated to be brought to the Board of Supervisors for approval in mid-2025. Ultimately, the City and CAST share the GLBT Historical Society’s goal of owning the property.
As one of the first gay neighborhoods in the United States, the Castro is recognized internationally as a symbol of LGBTQ advocacy, freedom, and expression. Over the last several months, the Castro/Upper Market district has become an even more vibrant destination with new business opening, reopening, or undergoing improvements. Some examples include the opening this past weekend of Taboo by Healing Cuts SF, the reopening of Fisch & Flore last spring, the remodeling of Beaux, and opening of Bar49 in the summer. Other recent openings include Fave, a new handmade apparel and screen print shop, and Tacos El Tucán.
This October, the Castro will also be the first neighborhood to benefit from Mayor Breed’s legislation waiving City fees for outdoor street events, kicking off with the first Castro Night Market on October 18. Two other events will also take advantage of the free streets program in October: The Comfort and Joy Glow Halloween Block Party on Saturday October 26 and the Castro Merchants Family Halloween Block Party on Sunday October 27.
Additional information on the GLBT Historical Society may be found at this link. To learn more about the Community Arts Stabilization Trust, click here.
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