GLBT Historical Society Gets New Permanent Museum in the Castro
Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Mandelman Announce New Permanent Home for LGBTQ History Museum in the Castro
San Francisco will purchase 2280 Market Street to serve as the site of the nation’s first LGBTQ museum and its archives after decades of the collection being in temporary locations.
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 to allow for 2280 Market Street to become a full-scale museum, archives, and research center.
The 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.
Located at 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. When acquired, the building’s second floor will be vacant 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.
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.
Read more at SF.gov
The GLBT Historical Society Museum, located in the heart of San Francisco’s Castro District, is the first stand-alone museum of LGBTQ history and culture in the United States. It celebrates San Francisco’s vast queer past through dynamic and surprising exhibitions and programming.
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