Mister SF states:

"The Vaillancourt Fountain at Justin Herman Plaza and Four Embarcadero Center has been widely reviled since it was built in 1971 by French-Canadian sculptor Francois Vaillancourt. The late Herb Caen said it looked like a pile of poop while others are content to call it a mere eyesore. So harsh was public criticism that its embittered creator was ridiculed out of town. Built on land cleared for the Embarcadero Freeway and BART, the fountain is built on the site of former hotels and bars in an area once well populated by seamen."

Mister SF states (Nov. 14, 2004 archive):

"Controversy enveloped the filming of Basic Instinct in San Francisco in the early 1990s. Activists were outraged by the ultimate Hollywood lesbian stereotype, the ice pick wielding murderess played by Sharon Stone. Demonstrators picketed locations around town and circulated flyers when a gay publisher and bar owner rented his Rawhide II tavern to production company Carolco for scenes from the movie. The beautiful home of Stone's character, Catherine Trammell, is 2930 Vallejo Street in Pacific Heights. The cop hangout is Tosca Cafe, 242 Columbus Avenue. Just ten years later, Stone was an international superstar (and San Franciscan), Hollywood's portrayal of sexual minorities had improved big time, a sequel to Basic Instinct - which plays as a historical piece at the Castro Theatre - had fallen apart in development, and Sentinel newspaper publisher Ray Chalker was out of business." (Photos show the Rawhide II, 280 7th Street, and the original demonstrators’ flyer, "Greed is Ray Chalker’s Basic Instinct.")

Celluloid San Francisco:

"When the Vaillancourt Fountain was unveiled at Justin Herman Plaza and Four Embarcadero Center in 1971, it was widely reviled. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen said it looked like a pile of poop, while others were content to merely call it an eyesore. So harsh was public criticism that its embittered creator, French-Canadian sculptor Francois Vaillancourt, was run out of town. Built on land cleared for the Embarcadero Freeway and BART, the fountain is built on the site of former hotels and bars in an area once well populated by seamen."

Celluloid San Francisco states:

"Controversy over the San Francisco filming of Basic Instinct (1992) centered on its stereotypical depiction of and ice pick-wielding lesbian played by Sharon Stone. When Sentinel gay newspaper publisher Ray Chalker rented his Rawhide II, a well-known gay country-western bar located at 280 7th Street, to the production company Carolco to shoot a short scene, demonstrators passed out flyers saying “Greed is Ray Chalker’s Basic Instinct.” Just 10 years later, Shorn Stone is an international superstar (and San Franciscan), Hollywood’s portrayal of sexual minorities had improved, a sequel to Basic Instinct had fallen apart in production, and Chalker was out of business."