Iconic Haight & Ashbury Corner Could Get a New Music Hub From KEXP
The iconic corner of Haight and Ashbury could soon have a whole lot more music. KEXP, the Seattle-based nonprofit public radio station, has been selected as the sole finalist to transform San Francisco’s historic Doolan-Larson House and Storefronts into a new music and cultural hub, in partnership with Blue Bear School of Music and San Francisco Heritage.
The proposal calls for live performances, music education, radio broadcasts, public gathering space and a rooftop venue at one of the city’s most famous intersections.
The plan would give Blue Bear an entire floor for music classes, while KEXP would operate broadcast facilities for Bay Area programming and a flexible street-level gathering space. The proposed rooftop performance area could accommodate around 100 people, with the broader space envisioned for concerts, DJ nights, listening parties, open mics and other community events. The idea is less “museum piece” and more active neighborhood hangout, while still preserving the historic character of the property.
And yes, there are some big plans for that roof. Early renderings show a potential indoor-outdoor addition, but KEXP stresses that the designs are still conceptual and could change significantly as the project moves forward. The Doolan-Larson property has been stewarded by San Francisco Heritage since 2017, when longtime owner Norm Larson donated it, and any eventual renovation will have to balance new public uses with the building’s historic protections.
The important catch: this isn’t happening quite yet. KEXP and San Francisco Heritage have signed a letter of intent to keep exploring the project, with the partners now working through community input, construction feasibility and, perhaps most importantly, how to pay for it. A future capital campaign is being considered, and the boards of KEXP and SF Heritage will ultimately decide whether the project moves into the next phase. They’re hoping to have an update by early 2027.
Read more at KEXP
