New Life for an Old Library
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n INSIDE n FOOD & DRINK n LOCALS Crime Watch 4 Fillmore Beat 5 Market Loses A Force New Neighbors 6 a Pioneer for Good Film 10 Terry Farms was here Rita Semel has no Architecture 12 from the beginning time for retirement Home Sales 14 PAGE 8 PAGE 9 THE NEW FILLMORE SANSAN FRANCISCO FRANCISCO n nNOVEMBER APRIL 2010 2019 NEW LIFE FOR AN OLD LIBRARY HISTORIC MEDICAL LIBRARY BECOMES A “MISSION DRIVEN” EVENT SPACE | PAGE 11 CORRESPONDENCE E D E N W R I G H T D E S I G N EarthQuake Stories can now tell this story. During No, he didn’t bring Linda Ronstadt along. the 1989 earthquake, I was manager I won’t forget that day and night. of the Wells Fargo branch at Fillmore Steven Spigolon Iand California Streets. n We’d had a gas line explosion in the Re “Tribes in the Grove” in the neighborhood earlier that day, which Fillmore Beat by Chris Barnett, October: knocked out the electricity for several It’s obvious you just can’t help yourself and hours. I was frustrated because I had a pile seem to have to politicize everything you of loan applications sitting on my desk write. It’s people like you who continue and I couldn’t work on them — because to segment our society and perpetuate with no computers, I had to dividing people by insert- spend my day with the tell- ing “identity politics” into ers manually approving cash everything. disbursements. I thought you were going At 4 in the afternoon, to write that these three the electricity came back Native American women, on. I was thrilled. Normalcy recently hired and now didn’t last long. At 5:04 all working at The Grove, were havoc broke loose. I thought contributing special recipes the gas lines had exploded from their various tribes again. They hadn’t; it was or background. Nope, you an earthquake. I was pick- had to add your personal ing customers up from the bias about how bad the U.S. floor. treated the Indians. I secured everything at For your sake, I hope the bank. We stayed open until 6 with no these three servers wear name tags so cus- lights, alarm or computers. The next day tomers know they are “special” from other at 7 a.m. I left my house on Lake Street servers who are working equally hard. and walked to California Street to take the Willow Carter bus to the bank. But no buses were run- n ning. Tiger Wong, grandson of one of the Re “Collector Meets Curator” by founders of Chinatown, was driving down Barbara Kate Repa, October: Thank you California Street and gave me a ride. for developing the idea that our exhibi- I opened the bank at 9 with no lights, tion “Indonesian Textiles & Handcrafts” computers or alarm. I put a sign in the at Rhoda Goldman Plaza was more than SAN FRANCISCO and SAUSALITO (January 2020) window: “Will cash any bank’s checks for the coincidence of a collection of textiles T: 415.648.0181 WWW.EDENWRIGHTDESIGN.COM $100.” We cashed 6,000 checks that day. available to hang and the availability of No other bank in San Francisco was open someone who happened to know how to and all ATM machines were down. display them: that the exhibition afforded Years later, when I no longer worked at the opportunity for two new residents to Wells Fargo, a woman walked up to me in meet, get to know each other, and for the the Financial District and said: “You don’t Rhoda Goldman community to get to know me, but I know you. The day after the know two new residents. earthquake, I needed cash, and you cashed So many people have, or will be, faced my check for $100. I will never forget you. with such major life-changing situations. Thanks.” I for one was pleased that you shared the Bob Terry concept that sometimes unexpected events n provide unexpected results. My shop, Departures from the Past, Sandy Rosenbaum was next door to Harry’s Bar. I had just n moved in the year of the earthquake. We love your newspaper. I was aston- When it hit, and the electricity went ished and very happy when I saw the Sep- off, the guys from the kitchen at Harry’s tember 2019 issue with one of my favorite went outside to their car parked in front authors, Richard Rodriguez, on the cover. and turned on the radio. Then we looked As always, his article was excellently writ- out toward the Marina, and a great plume ten. We have crossed paths a few times of smoke was rising. since 1982 and, like Richard, we live on Harry Denton put candles all around Clay Street (since 1975) and we love this that mirrored bar, and it was hazy from the area very much. smoke. He said the bar was closed, but let I don’t usually write fan letters, but I did regulars in. want Richard to know how much I like his And through the beer and smoke, who work. Could you please pass this letter on was there? Gov. Jerry Brown. He was to him? staying in the neighborhood sometimes. Sandy Briggs THE NEW FILLMORE P. O. Box 15115 n San Francisco, CA 94115 n 415-441-6070 [email protected] Editors | Barbara Kate Repa & Thomas R. Reynolds Production Editor | Ginny Lindsay Copy Editor | Donna Gillespie Advertising inquiries [email protected] or 415.441.6070 Published on the first weekend of each month. Deadline: 20th of prior month Connecting the neighborhood Every month since 1986, 20,000 copies of the New Fillmore have circulated to homes and businesses in the Fillmore, Pacific Heights and Japantown. We thank you for your support and welcome your ideas and suggestions. newfillmore.com | for updates and archives 2 NEW FILLMORE November 2019 NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS A Jewel of a Club Is Closing Pacific Heights Health Club, once for men only, ends its 35 year run A retractable roof in the weight room has been one of the club’s distinctions, along with its cheeky signs posted outside. By Barbara Kate Repa Lang intends to focus, mostly in online sessions, on over as owner in 2004, adding a cheeky sense of marketing coaching women from 45 to 55 interested in weight loss along with yoga, Zumba and Pilates classes. Later she dis- acific Heights Health Club, with its lofty- — especially those in tech, who share her work roots. continued the classes and focused on small group training sounding name and low-key vibe — where designer n for older people, a change that didn’t sit well with some of workout garb was not required — will close its A longtime neighborhood institution, the urban gym the regulars. Pdoors for the last time on November 27, the day before at 2356 Pine, just west of Fillmore, has gone through a “It created a bit of a kerfuffle,” Lang acknowledges, but Thanksgiving, at precisely 3 p.m. number of incarnations. It opened in 1984 — when the also revealed a deeper truth. “It was then that I realized the Amy Lang, who took ownership of the club 15 years ago city had only six health clubs — as a men-only club that club is a better place for a person who is a do-it-yourself and appointed herself chief motivating officer, announced offered massages, a hot tub, and was staffed with locker type of exerciser,” Lang says. “I didn’t know you don’t the move in a letter to members on November 1. room attendants. It was frequented by a number of celeb- morph a health club into what you want it to be. But what “San Francisco has changed. Retail has changed. The rity clients, including, for a time, John F. Kennedy Jr. I’ve learned now allows me to do what I’ve always wanted fitness industry has changed,” Lang said in an interview. David Kirk opened the front part of the club to women to do.” The club’s personal training program will continue in when he took ownership in 1990. A dozen years later he Lang also admits it’s freeing to be untethered from the fitness center of the nearby 2000 Post Street apart- opened the entire club to all. the responsibility of owning and maintaining the 7,221- ments, between Steiner and Pierce. Fleeing a worklife in finance and tech, Amy Lang took square-foot club and its various equipment. You’re invited to the 35th Annual AgeOn.© CABLE CAR CAROLING Answering the CALL for FRIENDSHIP LINE Saturday, December 7th, 2019 A joyous occasion filled with fun caroling to spread the holiday spirit to older adults and adults living with disabilities. (All donations are tax-deductible - TaxID #94-2978977) Visit give.ioaging.org/ccc19 to reserve your tickets (space is limited) or call 415.379.3256. November 2019 NEW FILLMORE 3 CRIME WATCH Possession of Firearm, Methamphetamine had been sleeping inside a car in a parking driver to turn the engine off, but he did were involved: one with major damage Bush and Larkin garage since 4 o’clock that morning. They not comply. Officers then approached the and one with minor damage, as well as the September 6, 1:13 a.m. conducted a well-being check and found vehicle and ordered the occupants out of car responsible for the collision. They also Officers saw a gold Lexus sweeping the man still asleep in the driver’s seat with the car.