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Eagle Tavern, 398 12th Street. |
The
I Beam disco at 1748 Haight Street, the old Masonic
Temple, closed in the early 1990s, but not before the night spot made its
mark in two important areas of San Francisco's cultural scene. First it
was a gay club, started in the 1970s by Dr. Sanford Kellman, a retired astronomer.
Compared with today's rave and circuit scenes, the I Beam seems like an
innocent precursor. Throughout the 1980s, the club's popular Sunday Tea
Dance was a favorite spot for gay guys looking for love, a quick toss, or
just some good grooves on the dance floor, which was flanked by huge pillars.
During that time, the I Beam was also the City's port of call for New Wave
bands and Modern Rock groups, foreign and domestic. Among those who played
here are Duran Duran, 10,000 Maniacs, New Order, The Cure, Red Hot Chili
Peppers, Jane's Addiction, and many more. Counting Crows, in an early appearance,
was discovered by record executives at the I Beam. Kellman sold the place
in 1990 following the death of his lover. The I Beam operated under new
management for a couple of years after Kellman sold, then closed without
much fanfare. No look back at gay social history is complete without reference
to the following venues: Busby's, Trocadero Transfer, Elephant Walk, Patio
Cafe, the Stud, Sutter's Mill, Alta Plaza,
Cafe San Marcos, the Box, Cafe Flore, Club
Townsend, Pendulum, the Black Cat, Esta Noche, The Galleon, Pleasuredome,
El Rio, Endup, the Eagle, Badlands,
Sausage Factory, Detour, Giraffe, Kimo's, Phoenix,
the Record Rack, Twin Peaks, Midnight Sun, the
Mint, Josie's, "the
tubs," White Swallow, and the QT, to name a smattering of gay hot spots
past and present.
On June 18, 2002, rumors of a one-night-only belated farewell party at the I Beam were scotched when the building that housed the former I Beam and some shops was razed to make way for new apartments. Bits of the club's sound and lighting systems could be seen hanging from sections of the partially demolished building. |
Copyright Hank Donat |