Kevin's blog

One View of the Castro

The Castro has been in a state of  transition for a long as I have lived here. The neighborhood seems to attract more than its fair share of transients. Which can partly account for high rents in the district the other reason for high rents is a much more base emotion of some humans.

Large amounts of real estate in the Castro both residential/rental and commercial is owned by a few people/families/corporations. With fewer choices go much higher prices. The neighborhood has a finite number of square footage and people have been making millions off that fact for many years.

All of this has negative effects on the neighborhood. Overbuilding and crowding more and more people into the same amount of space usually causes disharmony and resentment.

One building in the Castro was a once very popular gay owned hamburger stand. It was a self-service place that seated about 20 people at the most. Someone that owns a lot of real estate and businesses in the Castro purchased it; soon he fired all the gay employees and downgraded the quality of the food. Shortly thereafter the business closed. This "restaurateur" also purchased the small two-story building that housed this business it had a small two bedroom flat above the business.

Soon after the business closed the small two-story building for all intents and purposes was demolished. It was replaced with a 60-person full service restaurant and 2 two bedroom 3 story condos above. Not a blade of grass, tree or a single parking space was added to this property. Many of the city building/planning department rules were bent, skirted, avoided or simply ignored in the building of this architect’s dream.

This is the kind of thing that is really changing the Castro’s character not the presence of heterosexuals and children. Forcing people to live so close to each other is what has made other great cities fall apart. Comments?

There Goes The Gayborhood Video

I have had many requests for this video so here it is and it is hysterical on many levels and sad on others. It’s about one man’s efforts to de-gay the Castro.  It is a Quicktime File and may require you have Quicktime 6 or greater

 

http://www.devilducky.com/media/48360/

 

Another story about the demise of the Castro

In case anyone missed it here is a link to a story by the AP about the demise of our neighborhood. They quote some locals and Don Reuter, a New York writer that is a little fact challenged, but he wants to sell books.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/03/10/america/NA-GEN-US-Gay-Ghettos.php

 

Memories of The Castro May 1980

I though I would post some Photos of the Castro as it looked when I first moved here in May of 1980.

First are The Castro Café and DJ’s Bar. Walgreens took over the Castro Café in 1981. DJ’s became the Phoenix Bar in 1982 then eventually it became part of Walgreens also.

Next is The Balcony bar on Market Street. The Balcony closed and became a sex club briefly and now is a Clock Repair.

Last is Leather Forever (on 17^th Street next to Orphan Andy’s) Leather Forever became an Art Gallery then Superstar Video and now it's Wild Card.