Like many streets in SF, Divisadero has changed a lot over the years. In 2009, a piece in the San Francisco Chronicle claimed that the main corridor through the Western Addition was “known as a gritty stretch of seedy dive bars, failed businesses and low-income housing.” Two years later, The Huffington Post called this area the “comeback neighborhood of the year” and then-supervisor Ross Mirkarimi was quoted saying he was much happier hearing residents bitching about strollers instead of being victims of violent crimes.
As Divisadero goes through yet another evolution (this decade’s newcomers being of the food, boutique, and craft cocktail variety), these pictures from the ’80s and ’90s provide an interesting time capsule of the neighborhood showing some of the businesses that went by the wayside. The photos to come to us from the Robert Durden Color Slide Collection at the San Francisco History Center of the San Francisco Public Library and are part of our our partnership with Historypin, a non-profit storytelling site where you can add your stories of this (and many other neighborhoods) to their Year of the Bay project.
In the left corner of the above photo, you can see The Kennel Club. This venue is now The Independent, but back in the ’80s, the Kennel Club hosted tons of cool bands, including Nirvana and The Flaming Lips. Then it became The Justice League in the ’90s before turning into The Independent in 2004. The white building next door was the The Harding Theater (which was used as a church for 30 years before closing the same year The Independent opened). Activists are trying to save this historic space, which was a movie house for silent movies and talkies alike. The Grateful Dead played the Harding once, but then again, it’s more of a challenge to find a place The Dead didn’t play in this city.
This pink building, which used to be home to a gyro joint, now houses the Madrone Art Bar (and the very popular Motown on Mondays).
This mural once rocked the walls outside of what became The Independent. Sadly the club’s exterior isn’t quite as colorful these days.
That TV and video shop above? It’s now Mojo Bicycle Cafe.
Remember video rental shops? This shot is from the 300 block of Divis, which now houses Little Chihuahua, The Page, and Yoga Garden.
It’s nice to know that some things have stayed the same. Alamo Square is still a great spot to hang with your extremely long-haired girlfriend.
The Painted Ladies also never seem to change much, even if the actual ladies standing in front of them do. Praise be to mom jeans.
To keep the conversation about this neighborhood going, come to our Divisadero Microhood Party tonight (Thursday, March 26) from 6–8 p.m. Local businesses will be offering giveaways and goodies in the form of free drinks and food and other discounted swag.
We’ll be there handing out treats as always and there will be a cool after party at Madrone (aka the old gyro spot). We’ll see you there, mom jeans optional.
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