Notorious SF: Condor Club
The Condor Club, now the Condor Sports Bar, has the distinction of being the first topless dance bar in the U.S. On June 16, 1964, Condor waitress Carol Doda danced atop a white baby grand piano in a topless bathing suit, then a controversial creation by designer Rudi Gernreich. Many area bars and clubs immediately went topless. As the booby bar craze took off, Doda underwent breast enlargement surgery to increase her bust size from 34 to 44  inches, thus insuring her status as the biggest star on Broadway in North Beach. She went on to appear in films and as a TV hostess, rock singer, pinup queen, and entrepreneur. Doda is the proprietor of Carol Doda's Champagne and Lace Lingerie Boutique at 1850 Union Street. Doda retired from the Condor in 1986, three years after the club had earned another spot on San Francisco's wall of infamy. After closing one night in November, 1983, Condor dancer Theresa Hill and bouncer Jimmy Ferrozzo decided to "make love" atop the piano. When a hydraulic system that raised and lowered the piano for performances was accidentally activated, the couple became pinned to the ceiling. Ferrozzo was crushed to death while Hill lay trapped beneath him until the pair was discovered by a janitor several hours later.

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Copyright 2001 Hank Donat
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