The Saloon

The Saloon, located at 1232 Grant Avenue in North Beach, is currently the oldest saloon of San Francisco and for decades has offered dancing and live music.

For gay bar in Minneapolis, see The Saloon, Minneapolis.
The Saloon's Exterior

History

The Saloon first opened in 1861, and has been in continuous operation ever since.[1] Except for a brief period when the building was entirely destroyed in the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906.[2]

This drinking establishment was originally owned by Ferdinand E. Wagner, the son of a liquor merchant in Studweiller (Bas Rhin, France), who named it Wagner's Beer Hall. In 1836 Wagner migrated to Louisiana, married a native of Cannes in 1845, and then opened a saloon there.[3] But in 1852 Wagner moved to San Francisco, and first worked as a hotel manager and then as a fruit vendor.[4] He brought his family to San Francisco, and by 1868 he opened Wagner's Beer Hall at 308 Dupont Street. When Dupont Street was renamed as Grant Avenue, it was renumbered as 1232 Grant. Ferdinand and his family lived in the two floors above the bar, and one of his sons would continue to operate the business after Ferdinand retired.

The building looks very much the same as it does in photographs from the 1870s.[5] The elaborate wooden bar which is currently in use was installed in the 1860s, and was constructed outside of America and later shipped to San Francisco. The Saloon is located in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, although in the 1860s its location occurred near the northern border of the Barbary Coast district. During that time the Barbary Coast had scores of dance halls and concert saloons.[6]

The Music

In the late 1960s and 1970s Grant Avenue had numerous blues clubs like The Saloon, which supplied live bands playing music every night. Though many of those blues clubs have disappeared, The Saloon continues to provide a dance floor and daily performances by locally acclaimed musicians. Despite its small size, throughout time The Saloon has attracted the performances of many talented and occasionally famous musicians.

List of Notable Performers

The following is a partial list of high-profile musicians who either got their start or had performances at The Saloon:

See also

References
  1. Richards, Rand: Historic Walks in San Francisco, Heritage House Publishers, 2008, p. 291
  2. https://brokeassstuart.com/2019/05/28/did-san-franciscos-oldest-bar-the-saloon-actually-burn-down-in-1906/?fbclid=IwAR3ZpLwqn3Tqu2c6WKsjKbkh3hMfs4ZavbTr8BGusEZzrIQEbJ9McjbRviE
  3. Chalmers, Claudine: French San Francisco, Arcadia Publishing, 2007, p. 62
  4. Richards, Rand: Historic Walks in San Francisco, Heritage House Publishers, 2008, p. 291
  5. Chalmers, Claudine: French San Francisco, Arcadia Publishing, 2007, p. 62
  6. Cressey, Paul: The Taxi-Dance Hall, University of Chicago Press, 1932, p. 179

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