BODY & SOUL PHOTOGRAPHY HOME It takes a village Backstage at A designer to age at home Th e Fillmore at the top
PAGE 7 PAGE 13 PAGE 15 THE NEW FILLMORE SAN FRANCISCO ■ DECEMBER 2009
TheTies That Bind Ken Keep collects neckties, but it’s the connections he values
By Barbara Kate Repa
is card identifi es Ken Keep as a driver- receptionist. But spend a few minutes in H his presence at the Sequoias and it’s clear he’s much more: confi dant, escort, problem solver, entertainer, font of knowledge, friend. Keep has been on the job at the retirement com- plex at Geary and Laguna for eight years, and for most of that time he’s been collecting neckties. “Th is would not have happened had I not come here,” he says as he stands amid his prodigious collection, now numbering nearly 1,800 ties. He recalls the precise moment his “mild obses- sion” began. He had just started working at the Sequoias and was standing in the checkout line at the Goodwill store on Fillmore when he saw, and bought, a brightly colored tie portraying fl ags from
THOMAS REYNOLDS GALLERY various countries. “I was wearing ordinary ties until then,” says A vision of St. Dominic’s celebrated in a series of paintings Keep, who is required to wear a tie daily as part of by David Carr (left), an honored and the Sequoias’ employee dress code. “Th e residents Rouen Cathedral had Monet, San distinguished English painter, who responded immediately—looking for the fl ag of Marco had Canalletto, St. Dominic’s married a San Franciscan in 1992. The had David Carr. In each case, a critic church became one of his favorite their family’s home country, telling me stories about wrote, “a great religious structure subjects on his visits to the city, and growing up there.” inspired an artist whose vision was he became known and respected by “Now it’s part of my schtick,” he says of his trade- uniquely attuned to interpreting its many local admirers. David Carr died aesthetic verities.” St. Dominic’s was October 25 in London at age 65. mark: wearing weird, wacky or whimsical ties on the job. “I do it to connect to the residents.” TO PAGE 8 COMMENT Boomer, Baby and Beeping Buses tbuvsebz!efdfncfs!6!311:
ur family has lived in the You tell the owner of that poor kitty neighborhood at the corner that she must never do this again. And Oof Sacramento and Steiner tell all the other people, too, who want for more than 15 years. If you too are to have a kitty: Kitties are very delicate. neighbors, you are probably aware of Th ey’re not for your amusement. Th ey are the beeping buses that are depriving sensitive creatures. Love them and keep our neighborhood, as well as other them inside in a place that is totally safe neighborhoods in the city, of the quiet for them. enjoyment of our premises. via voice mail Th e buses have been quiet for the last ■ six years. Now Muni has reinstated the ! annoying beeping sounds on all right hand fbdf turns they make all over the city. Our !Q corner at Sacramento and Steiner—as well as California and Steiner and Broadway ! and Steiner—have become noise pollution !!!!Po zones. We have double-paned windows in our home, but the beeping seeps into our back rooms, garden and bedrooms. Th e noise is a nuisance all day, but bsui it escalates to a health hazard during F morning and afternoon commute hours when there are countless buses stopping and turning and buses stopped for prolonged periods of time—beeping— as people walk across the crosswalks. Carole and Jack Hawkes Epobuf!zpvs!qsfwjpvtmz!mpwfe!dmpuift!boe!tipft!up! ■ hank you for your November article [“J-Pop Center Brings New Hppexjmm!bu!uiftf!qbsujdjqbujoh!nfsdibou!mpdbujpot/ TEnergy to Japantown”] which included a piece on our Lolita brand, “Baby, the Stars Shine Bright.” Jo!sfuvso-!fokpz!b!ebz!pg!tipqqjoh!fwfout-! We would like to make one correction. Our company does not sell baby dresses, ejtdpvout-!boe!mjwf!kb{{/ but rather young adult fashion infl uenced by Victorian and Rococo clothing with Gothic and original designs to create a unique look. We appreciate your attention to this reparation. baby ■ am writing to let you know how Epobujpo!cjo! much I enjoy the New Fillmore. I love Tqfdjbm!fwfout!boe!ejtdpvout!kvtu!gps!zpv!bu!! Ithat the newspaper is devoted solely to mpdbujpot uiftf!qbsujdjqbujoh!tupsft!bgufs!zpv!epobuf" n your most recent issue, you have our wonderful neighborhood, and that the Then & Now a story about that poor little orange reporting is always on point. Eftjho!Xjuijo!Sfbdi!Ò!2:24!Gjmmnpsf! Nvtjd!Mpwfst!Bvejp!!Ò!3396!Cvti!! California Art Club in the Bay Area Itabby named Boomer, who died of One of my favorite sections of the %61!pgg!bo!psefs!pg!%611!ps!npsf/!Fokpz!qbtusjft! 21&!pgg!nptu!qvsdibtft/ rat poisoning. [“Mayor of Fillmore Runs newspaper is Crime Watch. I appreciate Out of Lives,” November.] It says he had the factual summaries of crimes that have boe!pshbojd!dpggff!gspn!Cpvmbohfsjf!Cbz!Csfbe! come into contact with rat poison on two been committed in the area. In a strange 2811!Gjmmnpsf DPEF;!GJMMNPSF Rvffo!Boof!Ipufm!Ò!26:1!Tvuufs!A!Pdubwjb! previous instances. I think it’s so cruel that way, knowing what’s been going on in the Hjwjoh!Ofjhicpsippe!Ejtdpvou!QMVT!pof!Gsff!Sppn! his owner let him out. Especially after the neighborhood, crimewise, makes me feel Ofkb!Dptnfujdt!! Imbtlb!Ò!3144!Gjmmnpsf! Uzqf!Vqhsbef!po!zpvs!ofyu!cppljoh/ fi rst case of rat poisoning, he should have safer. Please keep up the good work. 2961!Gjmmnpsf!Tusffu 21&!pgg!pg!qvsdibtft!boe!fokpz!dibnqbhof-!ipu! been an indoor cat only. Theresa Diao dipdpmbuf!boe!epovu!ipmft/ Epobuf!bu!Tiv!Vfnvsb!Ò!2:82!Gjmmnpsf! Th at poor little cat! He’s not a ■ Bvupnbujdbmmz!foufs!up!xjo!b!hjgu!cpy!! wbmvfe!bu! personality to entertain human beings. look forward to seeing the New Nvtjd!Mpwfst!Bvejp!! Th at’s not his job in life, darn it. It’s just Fillmore in my mailbox every month. 3396!Cvti!Tusffu Epobuf!bu!LjfimÖt!Ò!3271!Gjmmnpsf!! %261!gspn!Tiv!Vfnvsb!boe!hfu!%36!pgg!boz!%211! not fair. To let that poor little cat out I I particularly enjoyed your Bvupnbujdbmmz!foufs!b!sbgàf!up!xjo!b!cpy!pg!Ljfimt! qvsdibtf/ when you know there’s rat poisoning article about Th e Artists Inn [“Th e Tiv!Vfnvsb!! xpsui!%!261!boe!hfu!b!qfstpobmj{fe!dpotvmubujpo!boe! around—what a horrible thing! He could Artistic Inkeepeers,” November] with 2:82!Gjmmnpsf!Tusffu uxp!efmvyf!tbnqmft/ Uipnbt!Sfzopmet!Hbmmfsz!Ò!33:2!Qjof! have lived well beyond his 13 years, at the wonderful photo of Denise and Bill 31&!pgg!boz!psjhjobm!pjm!qbjoujoh/ least fi ve or six more years, with modern Shields. Th ey are both so creative it’s a Uipnbt!Sfzopmet!Hbmmfsz! Mb!Cpvmbohf!Ò!3154!Gjmmnpsf!! medical treatment, if he had been kept an treat to be their guest. 33:2!Qjof!Tusffu indoor cat. Marion Seawell 21&!pgg!boz!qvsdibtf Ujnfmftt!Usfbtvsft!Ò!3287!Tvuufs! 21&!pgg!boz!qvsdibtf Imbtlb!! MJNV!Ò!3348!Gjmmnpsf!! 3144!Gjmmnpsf!Tusffu 21&!pgg!bmm!opo.tbmf!nfsdiboejtf [jod!Efubjmt!Eftjho!Tupsf!Ò!2:16!Gjmmnpsf! 21&!pgg!gvmm!qsjdfe!sfubjm!jufnt THE NEW FILLMORE Mb!Cpvmbohf! NJP!Ò!33:6!Gjmmnpsf!Tusffu! 3154!Gjmmnpsf 21&!pgg!bmm!opo.tbmf!nfsdiboejtf [jod!Efubjmt!Ò!3251!Dbmjgpsojb! 2130 Fillmore Street #202 ■ San Francisco, CA 94115 21&!pgg!gvmm!qsjdfe!sfubjm!jufnt 415 / 441-6070 MJNV!! editors@newfi llmore.com 3348!Gjmmnpsf!Tusffu Editors Barbara Kate Repa & Thomas R. Reynolds Production Ginny Lindsay Proofreader Donna Gillespie LjfimÖt!! Director of Community Development Nicole Ferreira 3471!Gjmmnpsf!Tusffu Mjwf!kb{{!po!uif!tusffu;!3!qn!.!6!qn Advertising inquiries new.fi [email protected] or 415 / 441-6070 Published on the fi rst weekend of each month. Deadline: 20th of prior month Subscriptions by mail are available for $30 per year. Please send a check.
Connecting the neighborhood Every month, 20,000 copies of the New Fillmore are delivered to homes and businesses in the Fillmore, Pacifi c Heights and Japantown. We focus solely on people and issues in the neighborhood and invite your contributions. THOMAS REYNOLDS GALLERY WWW . THOMASREYNOLDS . COM Archive of recent issues: www.NewFillmore.com We welcome your comments and letters about our small town in the big city. xxx/ßmmnpsftusffutg/dpn 2291 Pine Street at Fillmore ■ San Francisco, CA 94115 ■ 415 / 441-4093
2 NEW FILLMORE December 2009 CRIME WATCH ■ NEW NEIGHBOR GOOD WORKS
Auto Burglary beer and a chicken under his jacket, then Webster and Fillmore Streets walk past open registers, making no at- October 24, 10:20 a.m. tempt to pay. Th e security offi cer signed a One of Lafayette Park’s Best Friends Honored Offi cers viewing video surveillance cam- citizen’s arrest form and the offi cers took eras observed a man who had taken part in custody of the suspect, who had an out- By Don Langley an auto burglary several hours earlier. Th e standing traffi c warrant. He was booked at man was located was not far from where county jail. ooking out of her window toward they were viewing the cameras. Th ey found Lafayette Park, Kim Barnes noticed the suspected burglar walking up Webster Physical Altercation Lthat the city’s cutbacks in garden- Street and took the man into custody. He Ellis and Octavia Streets Ruby brings her love ers and maintenance were taking a toll. She was later booked at county jail. November 11, 5:43 p.m. decided to do something about it. If the Two offi cers responded to a report of a to the neighborhood city couldn’t take care of the park, the work Narcotics fi ght. Th ree individuals were drinking to- Ruby Livingdesign, offering home would have to be done by volunteers. Van Ness Avenue and Eddy Street gether when they got into a heated argu- furnishings and accessories, has Th at was fi ve years ago. Th ere have been October 31, 9:40 a.m. ment; one man then punched the other opened at 1919 Fillmore, the space still more fi nancial cutbacks by the city, Plainclothes offi cers saw two men two. When police arrived, they detained recently left vacant by LTH Market. but Lafayette Park looks better than ever, standing behind a bus kiosk. One man spit all three men. Th e two men who had been The store is fi lled with furniture: thanks to Kim Barnes. comfortable beds, wooden hutches something out and attempted to pass it to struck refused medical attention, but re- She stirred the pot, and found other and overstuffed couches—from the other man. Th e second man spotted the quested a citizen’s arrest. Th e offi cers trans- designers and manufacturers residents around the park who became as offi cers, turned and quickly walked away. ported the suspect to Northern Station. including Verellen and Mitchell Gold passionate about improving it as she was. Th e offi cers suspected an attempted nar- + Bob Williams—handpicked for Th ey became the core of Friends of Lafay- cotics transaction. When they detained the Physical Altercation their eco-friendly philosophies and ette Park—with Kim Barnes as president. fi rst man, he spit 12 rocks of crack cocaine Geary Boulevard and Steiner Street focus on comfort. The materials Rain or shine, they have showed up one are mostly reclaimed or plantation- onto the sidewalk. Th e suspect was booked November 11, 6:48 p.m. grown woods and fi nished steel. Saturday morning a month ever since. at county jail. Offi cers received a 911 call about a pos- Ruby is also stocked with home Now Barnes has been recognized for sible fi ght. When they arrived, they saw decor items, including lamps, her eff orts. On November 7, in the park Th eft two individuals who matched the caller’s candles, vases, paperweights and a and surrounded by her volunteers, neigh- Geary Boulevard and Van Ness Avenue description shouting at each other. When rich array of what one staffer called bors and leaders of the San Francisco Rec- For fi ve years, Kim Barnes has taken a hands-on role in improving Lafayette Park. November 5, 11:11 p.m. the offi cers detained them, one man started “irresistibly Italian” handcrafted reation and Parks Department, Barnes was tabletop items just right for holiday Offi cers responded to a report of a theft yelling at the offi cers; his breath and cloth- entertaining. honored and the day was declared Kim A number of achievements can be traced But there are still plenty of projects on at a residential building. An offi cer at the ing smelled strongly of alcohol. He refused Owners Deedee and James Barnes Cleaning and Greening Day. directly to Barnes’ eff orts. the Lafayette Park wish list. Th e Friends scene had detained a suspect. Th e woman to comply with the search and attempted Littrell aim to offer design services Pulling weeds and picking up trash has Friends of Lafayette Park spent one still want better pathways through the park who had been robbed said she was eating to kick one offi cer in the groin. Eventually and “transitional” merchandise— never seemed glamorous, but it’s even more Saturday morning planting hundreds of and they want them lighted—subtly, so in the restaurant located in the building he was taken into custody and transported clean lines and simple designs diffi cult than you might expect: It can’t donated daff odil and narcissus bulbs. they don’t disturb neighbors. Th e Friends somewhere between strictly when she momentarily got up, leaving her to Northern Station, where offi cers discov- be done without a city gardener present, Th e Neighborhood Parks Council held also want to renovate the playground, modern and more traditional. purse hanging on the chair where she was ered an outstanding warrant for his arrest. Those with a yen to refeather which required getting schedules changed one of its annual gala fundraisers in the which they note will unfortunately take sitting. When she returned, her purse was their nests can see a wide-ranging so there would be a gardener on duty on park, a successful eff ort to put Lafayette more money than physical eff ort. Th e re- gone. After interviewing the restaurant Shots Fired collection of fabric swatches and Saturday workdays. Park on the radar of park lovers citywide. cord suggests those tasks—and others not employees, the offi cers determined that the Sutter Street and Van Ness Avenue furniture fi nishes at the Fillmore In the early days, a great deal of the Barnes applied to the Victorian Alliance yet identifi ed—will get done. man who had been detained had been the November 15, 10:14 p.m. boutique, which is also a feeder to trash was used syringes and needles, es- for a donation from proceeds of its house Barnes has now stepped down as the Ruby’s larger showroom near the only person inside the restaurant during the Offi cers assigned to the specialist vio- design center. A third Ruby, also a pecially around the tennis courts. As the tour in Pacifi c Heights, which funded the chief Friend of Lafayette Park, leaving incident. A search of the suspect revealed lence reduction team received a report that boutique, is located in Mill Valley. group continued working, the number of Victorian water fountain that now graces more time for her day job as a real estate he had items in his pockets belonging to someone had fi red a gun. Th ey saw a vehicle needles diminished each month. the center of the park. agent with Hill & Co. the woman. He then admitted to the offi - driving away from the scene at high speed, cers that he had taken the purse back to his and suspected the driver had been involved apartment. He was transported to North- in the shooting. Th ey gave chase, conduct- Join us on Dec 25 for FREE Target Family Day! ern Station and booked at county jail. ed a traffi c stop and detained two men who were in the car. Th e driver consented to a Stuff Your Stockings at Assault search of his vehicle. Th e offi cers found two Van Ness Avenue and Geary Boulevard handguns and ammunition. Th ey took the November 7, 1:56 p.m. two suspects into custody and transported Offi cers received a complaint about them to Northern Station. A computer an individual who was challenging pass- check of the driver revealed that he was a Fillmore Hardware! ersby to fi ght. Th e offi cers obtained a de- convicted felon; the passenger was released scription and within minutes located the from Northern Station. suspect. Th e man who had called police told the offi cers that he had been walking Th eft down the street when the suspect shouted Geary Boulevard and Webster Streets at him in an aggressive manner, then tried November 19, 9:10 a.m. to punch him several times and struck him Offi cers were dispatched to the Safeway. once. Th e man who had been punched re- Th e store’s security offi cers told the police quested a citizen’s arrest form. Th e suspect they had detained a man who entered the was taken into custody and transported to store, took fi ve bags of shrimp, then walked Northern Station out without paying. Security caught him in the parking lot and brought him back into Attempted Th eft the store. Th e offi cers took custody of the Van Ness Avenue and Cedar Street suspect and cited him for petty theft, but November 8, 8:30 a.m. later released him. A citizen fl agged down offi cers on pa- trol, informing them that he was follow- ing an individual who had tried to steal New captain at his bicycle from inside his house. Th e man Northern Station told offi cers that he was in his bathroom when he heard his dog barking. When he Captain Ann Mannix has been came out, he saw the suspect standing in placed in charge of Northern Large Selection his living room, holding his bicycle. Th e Station in a reordering of the Police Join us on December 25 for FREE admission, resident yelled at the suspect to get out. Th e Department leadership. man who had broken in dropped the bi- “As I review reports I see that art-making activities, exhibition-inspired performances thieves are taking iPods, MP3 and films, and access to all CJM exhibitions, including: cycle and quickly left the house through players, laptops and any portable of Unique Gifts the window. Th e resident climbed out the devices right out of the hands of There’s a Mystery There: Sendak on Sendak window and followed the suspect until the innocent victims. There is a high police arrived. Th e man was on probation street resale value on all of these (on view through January 19, 2010) for theft and had two outstanding warrants devices. Please make sure to write down the serial numbers on your Under $50 for his arrest. 736 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 electronics and put them in a safe place at home. We recover many 415.655.7800 | thecjm.org Th eft devices, but do not have a record of 11 AM–5 PM, Thurs 1–8 PM, Closed Wed. Geary Boulevard and Webster Streets the serial number. Remember to be More than a hardware store November 11, 4:40 p.m. aware of your surroundings and pay 2237 Fillmore Street (between Sacramento and Clay) This exhibition has been organized by The Rosenbach Museum & Library, Philadelphia, and was made Lead Support Media Sponsors attention to anyone who is walking 1930 Fillmore Street (between Pine & Bush) • 346-5240 possible thanks to a grant from the Institute of Museum & Library Services, as well as the Greater Offi cers were dispatched to the Safeway, 567-9500 Philadelphia Tourism & Marketing Corporation. The national tour is presented by HarperCollins too close to you.” Serving the neighborhood since 1961 Children's Books. The San Francisco presentation has been made possible by lead support from the where the store’s security offi cer told them Capt. Mannix can be reached at Koret and Taube Foundations, with additional support from The Louise and Claude Rosenberg Jr. www.LIMUsf.com Family Foundation and the Mimi and Peter Haas Fund. Image Credits: Final drawing for Where the Wild he had detained a man for shoplifting. He [email protected]. Things Are. Pen and ink, watercolor. © Maurice Sendak, 1963. All rights reserved. Target Family Day Media Sponsor: said he had watched the man put a can of 4 NEW FILLMORE December 2009 December 2009 NEW FILLMORE 5 FIRST PERSON BODY & SOUL
My Upstairs Tenants,
the Black Panthers Lurie and his wife Ellie, SF Village board Aging member Eva Auchincloss, retired attorney By Bud Johns mumbled her name when arranging the Tom Mellor (“who imbues every role with appointment. life”) and well-known San Francisco jour- onsider me a sucker for “Here she comes now,” I told my in Place: nalist Tom Benet (“also a very good read- commemorative plaques. One friend. “It’s Kathleen Cleaver.” er”)—and the son of author-poet Stephen Creason London is among my Th ere was no mistaking her Afro. It Vincent Benet. favorite cities is its many buildings with had been pictured often in newspaper and It Takes blue ceramic plaques noting the famous television coverage of the Black Panther Looking after one another people who lived there. I fi nd it impossible Party, whose profi le was then at its not to pause and read them. highest. Six months earlier she’d married a Village hile SF Village focuses on So it was inevitable I would stop my the Panthers’ minister of education, the services and socializing, there car when I realized a bronze plaque had committed revolutionary Eldridge Cleaver, Fortunately for Wis another aspect that can be been installed on an Italianate Victorian I and become the party’s communications critically important: looking after one an- once owned at 2777 Pine Street. It didn’t secretary and the fi rst female member of Sarah Goldman, other. Because many members live alone, mention that I had lived on the ground its decision-making body. Th eir apartment new ideas for keeping in touch and off er- fl oor. Instead, it associated the building door had recently been kicked in by the there’s SF Village ing care are continually being discussed with a tenant who had rented the two San Francisco Police Department’s tactical and implemented. Problems of isolation, fl oors upstairs. squad in an unsuccessful raid searching for By Fran Moreland Johns both physical and psychological, are among guns and ammunition. Although Eldridge the leading reasons many seniors fi nd they c. 1878 Cleaver at the time was the Peace and arah Goldman, fi t and energetic at must give up their longtime homes. Former home of Freedom Party’s presidential candidate, he 81, hopes to age in place. Shortly after she joined SF Village, Eldridge Cleaver seemed to be a magnet for violence. Artist Judith Clancy’s drawing of 2777 Pine was color coded to show how it was Maybe not specifi cally in the Goldman talked her elderly landlady into to be painted after the Cleavers moved. Owner Bud Johns decided to sell instead. S Black Panther “What are you going to do?” my friend place she has called home for nearly two joining. Well into her 90s, the landlady and asked. “The neighborhood was pretty dicey,” he says, “and didn’t have the security decades—her sunny apartment on Di- had seen all of her close friends die. Gold- system provided for a time by the Panthers’ presence and the police surveillance.” Republican leader “Rent it to her if she likes it,” I said. visadero Street. Or even in another place She typifi es the members of the Village: man had observed that a nephew from She did, we made the deal and she paid a short walk from Th e Mindful Body, the Sacramento helped with some needs, and Th at called for a stroll down memory the deposit and arranged to move in. I had Cleaver was released on bail June 6 and newsworthy. True, police cars cruised yoga studio where she works two mornings active, intelligent, engaged—and a friend came weekly to help with grocery lane. In 1968, my upstairs tenants had to wait to meet Eldridge. He was in jail, we met after he joined Kathleen as my by far more frequently than before, and a week. But she hopes to grow older in a shopping and other tasks. Th en not long moved. I had advertised the vacancy and charged with attempted murder after a upstairs neighbors. Th ey had a steady and I often saw slow-moving cars carrying place of her own choosing—a lively place planning to stay that way. ago, she realized the weekly visitor was ap- was waiting on a Saturday afternoon to gunfi ght with the Oakland police in April heavy fl ow of visitors, but it was mostly gawkers hoping to see the home of the that fosters engagement and a sense of pearing less frequently. Her landlady was show it to a woman who had called. She 1968 that wounded him and killed fellow uneventful except a couple of times when high-profi le Black Panther whose Soul on community. ABOVE: Sarah Goldman doing yoga at The Mindful Body. showing signs she needed more attention. was late and I was on the phone telling a Black Panther Bobby Hutton. Hutton was it got noisy at night and I called to ask Ice, written after he’d served eight years in Enter San Francisco Village, which One call to San Francisco Village turned friend I would be late meeting her because shot 12 times while trying to surrender them to turn the music—usually good San Quentin for attempted murder, had Goldman learned about a year ago while things around. A small group, including I was giving the prospect more time. with his hands in the air after tear gas jazz—down a bit. Th ey always did. just been published and quickly become a reading an article in the New Fillmore with computers, social visits. By anticipat- ered both an interest in gerontology and a Goldman and the nephew, gathered and Th en I saw a young woman purpose- fl ushed them from the basement where Otherwise there was little to indicate best seller. about an upcoming event at Margaret ing problems that might call for outside gift for one-on-one communications with set plans in motion for a major cleanup, fully crossing the street. No wonder she’d they were hiding. that anyone in the neighborhood was TO PAGE 10 Johnson’s home on Pine Street where a help, the Village would keep members in seniors. regular housecleaning and outside helpers new aging-in-place concept would be in- their own homes as long and as comfort- Her skills, honed through internships who would keep up with bills and personal troduced. Goldman was already impressed ably as possible. at senior residences including Th e Carlyle, care. by Boston’s Beacon Hill Village, the proto- in the neighborhood, led to a new career. Help make holidays brighter for type for such communities. So she went. Now the dream is a reality When she was 64, she went to work with For families, an ally Th at night, Mary Moore Gaines, Eva the Peninsula Regent retirement commu- San Francisco kids and families. Auchincloss and Susan Poor outlined am- hat was only a dream in 2008, nity in San Mateo. She soon realized that hose who belong to San Francisco bitious plans to create San Francisco Vil- presented to small groups in many residents needed intellectually stim- Village hope the group can help re- Please join our annual food and toy drive by bringing lage, a membership-based community that Whomes throughout the neigh- ulating activities, and thus was born a play Tlieve family members of many care- unwrapped, new toys and non-perishable foods to any of our would help older adults stay in their homes borhood, became a reality this year with reading group. taking duties and burdens. Goldman has a as they age by off ering a wide variety of the offi cial launch of San Francisco Village. Once she joined San Francisco Vil- son living in San Francisco. “I want him to offices throughout the City, now through December. social, educational and personal resources. One of its fi rst members was Sarah Gold- lage, Goldman quickly agitated for a play have an ally in SF Village,” she says. Serving our community is a wonderful gift. Eventually, trained staff would work with man. reading group. “It just caught on,” she says. Margaret Johnson, who hosted the event each member through a four-step process: In many ways, she typifi es the mem- Beginning last spring, a handful of theater that fi rst piqued Sarah Goldman’s interest listen, respond, connect, follow-up. bers of the Village: active, intelligent, en- enthusiasts—now up to a dozen—began in SF Village, has a daughter in San Fran- For example, if a back fence needed re- gaged—and planning to stay that way. She meeting once a month at a member’s home. cisco and a son in southern California. “But pair, the Village would off er the names of works two mornings a week at Th e Mind- Goldman chooses a play, hands out parts I see no need to disrupt their lives any more several repairpeople who had been vetted. ful Body on California Street—one in trade and they go from there. than necessary as I get older,” she says. “I After the work was completed, the mem- for yoga lessons, the other for pay. Th e yoga “Usually it’s something short and light, would rather not live in assisted living or ber would get a follow-up call making sure studio and a long list of other interests and with some humor,” she says. “But I think a retirement community if I can live inde- everything was satisfactory, soliciting input involvements leave no time for boredom. we might tackle things with more sub- pendently.” and adding that information to the Village A career in clinical psychology led stance with this group.” ■ database. Goldman to California, and eventually to Th at’s probably fi tting. “Th is group” For more information about San Fran- Th e same process would apply for other the Bay Area. She was working as a mar- includes early regulars Winnie Siegel and cisco Village, visit www.sfvillage.org or call needs: rides to doctors’ appointments, help riage and family therapist when she discov- Maggie Ralston, retired psychiatrist Larry 387-1375.
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6 NEW FILLMORE December 2009 December 2009 NEW FILLMORE 7 out of the bus—such a gentleman,” says turing names from yesteryear: Paul’s of resident Mary Boyer, who goes on as many Nob Hill, I. Magnin, Bullock’s, Th e White of Keep’s outings as her schedule allows. House, Roos Brothers. “We all love him. He’s like a big teddy.” “Isn’t it amazing how much he knows?” ■ marvels a resident passing by just as Keep is Over the years, Keep has scoured local explaining the process of making marbled thrift shops for ties to add to his collection fabric. of conversation starters. “I only buy ties I ■ like,” he says, noting that his thrift store ac- In typical Ken Keep style, he encour- quisitions average about $3 each. “Th e dif- aged residents to share the limelight and ference between collecting and acquiring is participate in the exhibition of his ties. curatorial,” he adds. Resident Anne Farrar displayed a quilt Many of his ties come as gifts, and the she is making from her father’s ties. “You ones he cherishes most have come from can just see my father when you look at residents and are imbued with good mem- this,” she says. Th e ties are mostly conserva- ories. Th e fi rst was a slim burgundy one im- tive styles from the 60s, when he was in the printed with a moose—a gift from resident Navy—except for one, called a peek-a-boo On the fl ip side: Some ties are from stores that have closed. Betsy Gordon, who had just accomplished tie, coyly sewn into one corner, whose lin- her life’s dream of visiting Alaska. She died ing reveals a primping girlie picture. a week later. Resident Janice Naito and her daugh- Another came from Marie Cleasby, ter Jane crafted a handbag and duck decoy a former resident also recently deceased, from the same set of ties. And resident With Hundreds of Neckties who discovered a black and tan number Mary Boyer, a clothing designer who bears abandoned on the street while making her the distinction of being the fi rst woman to weekly rounds with a group she organized hold a fashion show in Japan after World Come Hundreds of Friends to clean up the grounds of the Sequoias War II, made an obi-style belt and a purse, and surrounding streets. “She was the spark both fashioned from ties. FROM PAGE ONE ing stints as a computer expert, paramedic, plug of that crew,” says Keep. ■ He recalls another turning point when student organizer and handyman. “I’m way And he has a special reverence for his Sometimes Keep decides which tie to a resident pointed to his neck garb one overqualifi ed and way overtrained,” he says. “memorial ties”—those given to him by “He holds your hand when you wear simply by reaching into his closet. But day and said, “Th at’s the ugliest tie I’ve “But I came here when I was in my 50s. I family and friends of Sequoia residents usually there is thought and forethought— ever seen,” in a tone that left no doubt she couldn’t have done it before then. Now I who have died. Among them is his fi rst come out of the bus—such a gentleman.” such as the two days he appeared in ties meant what she said. “I took it as a compli- have patience and fl exibility.” memorial tie, from the family of Bill Dove- with aviator themes because one of the ment,” he says, “that she trusted me enough Half his job is commandeering the smith, who Keep recalls as the fi rst openly residents had a guest visiting from Alaska to speak her mind.” reception desk at the entry to the Sequoias. gay Sequoias resident. Another is a yellow gories—colorful and dramatic, interesting me, I can’t see why he thought it was ugly.” who was a helicopter afi cionado. ■ “I get to see everyone coming and going,” tie sprinkled with calla lilies that belonged materials, ties as art, place-specifi c ties. He pauses before the ties from stores no Keep’s attention to detail is not lost on Keep is clearly part of the fabric of the he says. “I’ve been here long enough to to federal Judge Joseph Sneed, a former “Th e toughest part was deciding which longer with us. “Paul Delucchi at Repeat the residents. Nor are his eff orts beyond Over the years, Ken Keep has scoured local Sequoias and a fi gure of endearment for really know a lot of these people. I’m in Sequoias resident who died last year and ones not to include,” he says. Performance, the resale store on Fillmore, the call of duty, such as the recent evening most of the 350 residents, many of whom their faces all the time. I make it my busi- whose daughter, Carly Fiorina, is now run- Touring the ties, Keep stopped to fi nger agreed it would be good to have this cat- he escorted a resident to see her daughter thrift shops for additions to his collection give him a hug, a few words of encourage- ness to know what they’re interested in.” ning for the U.S. Senate. some of his favorites. egory as a memory stimulus—and he lent perform in a Sausalito dance troupe, the ment or a poke in the ribs as they pass by Th e other half of his duties involves ■ “Th is one came from the son of a a number of ties for the show,” says Keep, Don’t Give Up Your Day Job Dancers. of conversation starters. his post at the reception desk. driving a bus that takes residents on out- About 250 ties from Keep’s collection resident who wore it in an ugly tie con- who notes the category was wildly success- He even loaned one resident his rhine- But before coming to the Sequoias, he ings every weekday. were on display in the Sequoias’ rotunda test at his offi ce,” says Keep, pointing to ful in piquing residents’ recollections. Th ose stone tie to wear to a recent Sequoias gala. had a colorful and varied worklife, includ- “He holds your hand when you come this fall. Th ey were hung in careful cate- a tie crowded with loons. “For the life of ties were displayed with their tags out, fea- “He’s our gem,” she says.
St. Dominic’s Catholic Church Come Join Our Advent Celebrations! Advent Lessons & Carols, Sunday, November 29, 7:30 pm, Church Nave HillHil & CCo. Holiday Food Drive t. Dominic’s warmly invites you to celebrate the Advent The Word on Wednesday, Wednesday, December 2, 7:30 pm, Lady Chapel & Christmas Seasons in our beautiful church... Mariana Rexroth will speak on using poetry as a vehicle for contemplation. Nov.Nov. 1199 - DDec. 11 Angel Tour of the Church, Saturday, December 5, 10:00 am S Weekday Masses: Meet in the Steiner Street Vestibule. Angels are everywhere in St. Dominic’s: 6:30 & 8:00 am; 5:30 pm Count how many you can see & see how many you never knew were there. Hill & CCo. Holiday Toy Drive Morning Prayer: 7:15 am (weekdays); 8:00 am (Saturday) Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (A Holy Day of Obligation) Dec. 7 - DDec. 18 Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: Monday, December 7, Vigil Mass: 5:30 pm Tuesday, December 8, Masses: 6:30 am, 8:00 am, Mondays & Wednesdays: 8:30 am & 6:00 pm • First Fridays: 9:00 pm (Sign-up required) 5:30 pm (traditional music), 7:30 pm (contemporary music) The barrels are back! Sunday Masses: Our Lady of Guadalupe Celebration, Sunday, December 13 Saturday evening: 5:30 pm (Vigil), 7:30 am (Quiet), 9:30 am (Family), 11:30 am (Solemn) 1:30 pm Mass (en español), Church Nave; Food Drive: Please remember the hungry kids and 1:30 pm (St. Jude Pilgrim Mass in Spanish), 5:30 pm (Contemporary music) Reception follows in the Parish Hall people of San Francisco this Holiday Season. Bring 9:00 pm (Taizé music by candlelight) “Messiah,” A Christmas Concert, Tuesday, December 15 in cans of food, or packaged foods, and place them 7:30 pm, Church Nave. Our annual Christmas Concert will feature part-one of in our barrels for delivery to the San Francisco Food Handel’s Messiah, plus a selection of well-known carols for all to sing. St. Dominic’s Solemn Mass Choir, soloists and The Festival Orchestra. Tickets are $20. Bank. Please NO GLASS or Fresh Foods. Parish Advent Party and Caroling, Thursday, December 17 6:00 pm, Parish Hall & 7:30 pm Caroling, Lady Chapel Toy Drive: Please drop off toys and books - Advent Twilight Retreat, Monday, December 21 unwrapped and new - and place them in our barrels for 7:30 pm, Lady Chapel (Preparation for Confession) delivery to the San Francisco Fire Department. Confessions, Wednesday, December 23 12:00 Noon – 1:00 pm & 7:30 – 9:00 pm, Church Nave Next time you’re out shopping for food or toys, Come Join Our Christmas Celebrations! please remember the barrels, and the good you Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24 can do for others this holiday. Advent Masses: 6:30 am & 8:00 am Christmas Eve Masses: 5:30 pm Family Mass 11:15 pm Carols followed by Mass at Midnight (solemn) Office Locations: Christmas Day, Friday, December 25 Masses at 7:30 am (organ), 9:30 am (family), 2107 Union Street 11:30 am (solemn), 1:30 pm (en español) (No confessions today and no Masses at 5:30 pm or 9:00 pm) 1906 Union Street 1880 Lombard Street Solemnity of the Holy Family, Sunday, December 27 Masses at 7:30 am, 9:30 am, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, 5:30 pm & 9:00 pm 3899 24th Street Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God, Friday, January 1, 2010 Parish Mass at 9:30 am (No other Masses this day) Vigil Mass on Thursday, December 31, at 5:30 pm Solemnity of the Epiphany, Sunday, January 3, 2010 Masses at 7:30 am, 9:30 am, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, 5:30 pm & 9:00 pm Solemnity of the Baptism of The Lord, Sunday, January 10, 2010 Masses at 7:30 am, 9:30 am, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, 5:30 pm & 9:00 pm www.hill-co.com This marks the end of the Christmas Season 2390 Bush St. (at Steiner) • Free Parking • (415) 567-7824 www.stdominics.org
8 NEW FILLMORE December 2009 December 2009 NEW FILLMORE 9 MUSIC
message left on the Panthers’ answering Neighbors machine didn’t get results, so I drove to their headquarters in Oakland and said I —Until Th ey was there to get the rent. I think the three or four people there were startled by my audacity. One man looked at me, then Bach Choir Fled to Cuba nodded to a woman at a desk who opened a cashbox and paid me. I thanked them, FROM PAGE 6 they said I was welcome and I left. Presenting And there were all those clicks and A few days later two men came to my background sounds I would hear when door, showed their FBI credentials and using my phone. I just assumed it was asked to see the upstairs fl at. I went with Yuletide by an FBI wiretap—J. Edgar Hoover had them, the fi rst time I’d been in since I described the Panthers as “the greatest Black Panthers showed it to “Mrs. Cleaver.” threat to the internal security of the Kathleen and I saw Eldridge once more after his Candlelight country” and ordered “hard-hitting Eldridge Cleaver return from exile to the U.S. in 1975. lived at 2777 Pine counter-intelligence measures.” I when they went He had gone from Cuba to Algeria and Calvary Presbyterian is sometimes asked, “Can you hear alright?” into exile in 1968. was there, except for a period in North but never got a reply. Korea, until he wore out his welcome and home base for the group, Herb Caen’s column occasionally left secretly for France, which eventually mentioned seeing Eldridge’s white 1966 granted him legal residency. performing Dec. 5 and 6 Mustang parked on Pine Street. I never Th e return to the U.S. meant Basses in the San Francisco Bach Choir—along with tenors, altos and sopranos—will perform in the annual Christmas concert. told him it was actually mine. go away, but the local, federal, international, is,” I told them. I’d heard that Jacobs and immediate imprisonment on the By Marjorie Leet Ford Eldridge was scheduled to surrender secret, and off duty pigs as well as reagon, another noted Ramparts writer, Jessica assault charges for his role in the 1968 in November on the assault charges, and raff erty, shelton, wallace, alioto, et. all. want Mitford—a friend of mine—had initiated shootout with the Oakland police. He couple of years ago, Chronicle columnist Jon a Gregorian chant, goes back to the 1100s—about 200 Of the 61 voices, one is a rocket scientist, one is a nanny, things became noticeably more tense to do us in, Eldridge fi rst, then me. the vigil. was convicted and put on probation for Carroll wrote about how he’d decided to skip a years before English became a language. At the time of one is a vintner. as the time approached. When the rent Here’s the rent. Th e disruption outside got the fi ve years by a lenient court and ordered A49ers football game and go to Calvary Presby- “Veni-Veni,” all songs were sung in unison, with no har- Th e youngest singer, Spencer Scott, is a high school was late, I left a note and then a phone Peace, Mrs. Cleaver attention of whoever was upstairs and the to perform 2,000 hours of community terian Church to hear the San Francisco Bach Choir’s mony. Over almost 1,000 years, chords have been added. senior who lives in the neighborhood. Some in the choir message. A reply was slipped through my It’s not surprising the Panthers were front door opened. A man with shotgun at service. By then a Republican, he endorsed Christmas concert. Th is was even though he didn’t much With the Bach Choir, you hear it both ways. are Jews, one is a Buddhist, some are nonbelievers. What mail slot. It was typed on the stationery of on alert, considering the number of raids the ready surveyed the scene. Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984. He’d like Bach. Or churches. My favorite part of the rehearsal, before the chants and all have in common is a love of music and history. Ramparts, the locally based magazine that made on various members during that “He lives here and he’s all right,” the struggled with cocaine and undertaken After the intermission—he called it halftime—he the solstice songs, came when the large choir broke into Th e setting fi ts, too. Calvary’s 150-year-old sanctuary had published Eldridge’s writing since he period. But none came at 2777. Still, as man announced. Th e crowd parted quietly, a religious journey that included found the sanctuary plunged into darkness. Processions of two smaller choirs: one male, one female. Th e men sing is on the National Register of Historic Places. Th e acous- was in San Quentin. November 27—the date Cleaver was to and I went in and retired for the night. Mormonism and the Moonies and wound basses, tenors, altos and sopranos moved down the aisles, to the women and the women answer back. Th en the two tics are nothing less than divine. In 1859, the founders Mr. Johns: surrender to prison authorities—drew Th e next day I learned Eldridge had up born again. He’d even made an eff ort lighting candles, surrounding him with song. He wrote: sing against each other—antiphonally—making some- of Calvary Presbyterian recognized, to an unusual degree, Please excuse the delay but I have been near, a vigil formed outside on the skipped bail and slipped away to Cuba. to be a fashion visionary by designing his “Th ey were singing ‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.’ And thing like a multi-layered fugue. the value of music for both the inner life and a sense of so god damned busy with these pigs and sidewalk along Pine Street. When I got I saw Kathleen once more. She said she codpiece pants. I lost it. Tears were streaming down my cheeks.” Th is form of antiphony started in the Renaissance, eternity. courts and chaos that I completely forgot to home the night before, a milling crowd, was leaving to join him, but would like to Th e years clearly had left an impact on ■ when Gabrieli and nephew got multiple choirs to sing ■ pay the rent. You are so very sweet to be so mainly young whites, didn’t want to let a keep the rental a few more months. him, but he brightened when I identifi ed Th e same thing recently happened to me—at a re- across the vast spaces of San Marcos Cathedral in Venice. On Saturday, December 5, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, De- unobtrusive and gentle with me. I think you large white man—me—through the iron Occasionally someone would be myself. We spoke briefl y, even joking hearsal, no less, with no darkness, no candlelight, no vi- Today, the sanctuary at Calvary is only vast enough for cember 6, at 4 p.m., the San Francisco Bach Choir will are the perfect landlord and I would just like gate to the lower unit. upstairs. Eventually I realized everything about my failure to get him to sign my sual magic. two choirs, but the complication is rapturous. perform “Psallite! A Candlelight Yuletide” at Calvary to warn you that you should prepare yourself “If you really want to protect Eldridge, had been moved out without payment for copy of Soul on Ice. Th en, as I was leaving, Maybe the mystery that brings on the tears is the rec- ■ Presbyterian Church—home base for the choir—at Fill- for any day now some kind of assault on this why don’t you go over to Paul Jacobs’ the last month. he spoke almost wistfully. ognition of something layers deep in our DNA, something Corey Jamason, the artistic director, is a professor of more and Jackson. house. I think it is beautiful, I love it, I won’t house in Pacifi c Heights? Th at’s where he A mailed request and a telephone “Man, we loved that house.” that’s haunted us for centuries. “Veni Veni Emmanuel,” early music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Bring a handkerchief.
A classic San Francisco restaurant in a historic neighborhood setting Christmas a t St. John's TheVallejoChoralSocietywiththeSt.John'schoirpresents "Messiah and more" VallejoChoralSocietyandorchestra,St.John'sChoirandchildren’s choirperformselectionsfromHandel'smasterpiece,inspiring holidaymusicandpopularcarols! December 19, 2009, at 6:00 PM St.John’sPresbyterianChurch 25 Lake St. (at Arguello), San Francisco Tickets:$20inadvance,$25atthedoor,$15Seniors&Students,Childrenunder14 free For tickets & more information call 415-751-1626 or 707-751-0420 or visit www.stjohnssf.org or www.vallejochoral.org Uptown Joe’s
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Happy hour from 5 to 8 p.m. nightly Snack or dine at the Butterfl y Bar. No corkage on fi rst bottle.
The neighborhood restaurant you’ve been waiting for. Located in the historic Hotel Majestic, 1500 Sutter Street Dinner Tuesday to Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday brunch from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (415) 441-1280
10 NEW FILLMORE December 2009 December 2009 NEW FILLMORE 11 By Rochelle Metcalfe through his pioneering world music col- laborations with Indian sarod master Ali axophonist John Handy has played Akbar Khan. Handy’s interest in Middle many styles of music during his long Eastern music consumed him spiritually Sand prolifi c career. During the 27th and led him to embrace the culture. For annual San Francisco Jazz Festival fall years he wore long garments, headgear and season, the altoist and composer’s lifetime dashikis. achievements were recognized Sunday eve- Later he became fascinated with the ning, November 1, at Herbst Th eater when violin and formed John Handy with Class, he was presented with the prestigious featuring three classically trained violin- PHOTOGRAPHS © DAN DION SFJAZZ Beacon Award. ists—and Handy in top hat and tails. For 15 years, Dan Dion has been the house photographer at The Fillmore Auditorium. Above, a 360-degree panorama of a magical space created by stitching together 16 frames. Handy has blazed a brilliant trail as an Eventually the masterful musician re- innovator, improviser, composer, band lead- turned to his jazz roots, improvising with ■ PHOTOGRAPHY er and educator. Th e award acknowledged various collaborators. Just this year the his vital role in preserving jazz traditions Mosaic label released a box set of Handy’s and fostering the growth of jazz in the Bay classic quintet recordings of the mid-60s, Area. including some previously unreleased. Th e visionary saxophonist has been a ■ part of the fabric of San Francisco’s jazz Past collaborators joined Handy onstage A Love Letter scene starting in the early years of his mu- November 1. Flying in from India were sical journey. He lived in the Western Ad- There at the beginning: a young John Handy (far left) at Bop City. Vikash Maharaj (sarod), Prabhash Ma- dition (on Baker Street near McAllister) haraj (tabla) and Michelle “Sita” Colucci to Rock’s Most during those lively nightclub actions where (tanpura), plus violinist Tarika Lewis, the he performed on Divisadero and in the awesome Carlos Reyes on violin and harp, Fillmore at Bop City. Several years ago he Dave Mathews on piano, Jeff Chambers on Holy House moved to Oakland. It All Started at Bop City bass and soulful singer Kenny Washing- Th ose who have followed the world- ton. Take a look behind the scenes with traveled, hard-working artist through the Fillmore’s own John Handy honored as a jazz pioneer Backstage afterward, Handy’s intelli- years were there to rejoice with him and gent fi rst lady, Del Anderson-Handy—for- Th e Fillmore’s house photographer “Tito Puente (above) was an incredibly enjoy the music—including a new piece of mer chancellor of San Francisco City Col- vivacious performer who put to shame work. to Oakland, where he graduated from high forgettable triumphant performance at the lege—praised her husband, but said: “He’s By Dan Dion rockstars one-third his age. And despite enormous talent and acclaim, he was a Randall Kline, SFJAZZ founder and ex- school. In the 1950s and ’60s—the golden 1965 Monterey Jazz Festival, etched for- a genius but I can’t get him to take out the truly gracious man.” ecutive artistic director, introduced KCSM age of bop—Handy was in the midst of the ever on Live at Monterey. garbage.” n 1993, I was a 22-year-old standing on the jazz station’s guru, Sonny Buxton, the em- movement. Recognized as one of the most Handy signed with Columbia Records John Handy is a survivor, always evolv- corner of Fillmore and Geary, looking up at rock “B.B. King (left) was one of the last of the cee, who has followed Handy’s musical creative young saxophonists on the scene, and recorded three albums from 1966 to ing musically, a pioneer who has always music’s most holy house, which had just begun its great bluesmen and a singular performer I who can make any venue seem intimate. journey since the ’60s when Handy led the hard boppin’ Charles Mingus hired him to 1968. His 1976 hit, “Hard Work,” with a been ahead of his time. phoenix-like restoration. Th e Loma Prieta earthquake He’s also one of the people who actually house band at Both/And on Divisadero, at join his band in 1959 and thrust Handy funky R&B upbeat dance rhythm, exposed What’s next? that damaged the Bay Bridge had also knocked Th e played the club in the ’60s, and still does.” the time one of the jazz clubs in the city. into the spotlight, to rave reviews. Handy to non-jazz followers—and raised Fillmore Auditorium out of commission—a brutal hit ■ After a rewarding experience under the eyebrows of pure jazzists. Rochelle Metcalfe has been covering nightlife to the local music scene. But the contractor’s trucks and Born in Dallas, Texas, in 1933, Handy Mingus, Handy formed his band and be- Always evolving, Handy forged new in the Fillmore for decades. Her column is the seismic upgrade materials in the adjacent lot were started playing in 1949. His family moved came a star in his own right with an un- ground when he embraced folk jazz fusion posted Wednesdays at www.beyondchron.org. signs music would once again grace the stage of Th e Fillmore. photographer—the greatest job I’ve ever had. drawn-out session. So I developed a modus operandi “I’m going to work here,” I vowed to the universe Here’s how it works. Th e club gets the credential centered around being totally prepared—with locations and to myself. for me to shoot the performance, and it’s up to me determined, tests shots taken and a portable fl ash system At the time I was fresh out of college, working to try to get a backstage session. Th e music world is ready with near-instant recharge—because any delays on staff at the Holy City Zoo comedy club in the increasingly controlled by managers and publicists when you’ve got a celebrity sitting for you is death. Richmond and shooting at Candlestick Park as an who, if you try to arrange a shoot in advance, start Annoyance isn’t a complimentary facial expression. assistant photographer for the San Francisco Giants. issuing limitations and demanding the right to Cut to 15 years later and ROCK, JAZZ, AND FURTHER: When I went to concerts, I often sneaked in my camera approve which shots get used where. PHOTOS FROM THE FILLMORE AUDITORIUM 1994-2009, an in a bag of Chips Ahoy cookies, with my telephoto But one of the great benefi ts of shooting for exhibition of my photographs now at the Fillmore lens wrapped in deli paper to resemble a sandwich. Th e Fillmore, compared to other venues, is that Heritage Center at 1320 Fillmore Street. Unauthorized photography had a certain excitement performers want to be part of the photographic If one can write a love letter to a building, this is to it, given the cat-and-mouse game with security. record. Th ey have a kinship with past performers and mine. Assembled is a kaleidoscope of musical performers Celebrate But I was about to go legit. feel honored if their images grace the lobby. and genres, with assorted other characters like the the holidays Reopening Th e Fillmore was always on Bill Graham’s I quickly learned that the key to access was held Jim Rose Circus and Zach Galifi anakis thrown in for on our terrace! Catering For The Season to-do list. After his death in a helicopter accident in by the road manager, whose job it is to make sure the good measure. Th e aggregate talent on display is mind- 1991, the staff of Bill Graham Presents took up the show happens on time with a happy band, crew and boggling—from Pete Townsend to B.B. King to David mantle. I had a friend who worked at the company, and audience. Th e road manager is the only one who can Byrne. And there are the bittersweet images of those he got me a meeting to pitch my idea to photograph the get the band together before or after the show for a who’ve left us—Tito Puente, John Lee Hooker, Norton Lunch daily: 11:30 - 3 restoration. I’m a big fan of old buildings, and this one, quick shoot. Buff alo, Ken Kesey, Mark Sandman and Johnny Cash. Dinner nightly: 5:30 - 10 VIVANDE soaked in psychedelic history, was just begging to be And, to be sure, these shoots are quick. It was But it’s really not about individual performers. It’s Weekend brunch: 10 - 3 2125 fi llmore st. 346-4430 documented. while shooting these dynamic and elusive artists about creating a testament to music and free expression www.vivande.com My real plan, though, was to maneuver myself into that I developed what many of them have found to and placing it all within the context of one magical 2500 Washington St. at Fillmore position to shoot shows once Th e Fillmore reopened. be a painless shooting style. Just before or after a building: four seismically reinforced brick walls from 415.359.0075 • www.chouquets.com Restaurant • Wine Bar • Catering Th at’s how I found myself, in April 1994, as the house performance, the last thing these people want is a which emanate the sounds of transcendent spirit.
Holiday meals weighing you down? Lighten up with our homemade organic yogurts. At Fraiche, come discover the world of delicious and nutritious. Come in before noon and get a free topping on your oatmeal, fresh yogurt or frozen yogurt purchase. Choose between a selection of fresh-cut fruits, local honeys and purees, toasted nuts, homemade granola and hand- Zagat Rated and Michelin Guide Recommended shaved Callebaut chocolate. Valid for the month of December.
HOURS The Elite Cafe Mon-Thurs 7am-11pm Reserve on www.fl oriosf.com Established 1981 Fri 7am-12am Become a fan of “fl orio cafe & bar” on Facebook. Sat 8am-12am ◆ Follow us on Twitter. 2049 Fillmore Street 4 1 5 . 6 7 E L I T E Sun 8am-11pm www.The Elite Cafe.com 1910 Fillmore Street • 415-674-6876 • www.fraicheyogurt.com 12 NEW FILLMORE December 2009 December 2009 NEW FILLMORE 13 “If I had but two loaves of bread, NEIGHBORHOOD HOME SALES BOOKS I’d sell one and buy hyacinths to feed my soul.” Single Family Homes BR BA PK Date Asking $ Sale $ 3055 Laguna St 2 1 2 11/12 829,000 929,000 2209 Sutter St 3 2.5 2 10/22 1,649,000 1,635,000 1629-1635 Green St 3 2.5 1 10/21 2,595,000 2,287,500 2411 Washington St 4 3.5 2 10/28 2,800,000 2,900,000 2310 Buchanan St 5 4.5 2 10/23 3,590,000 NA 2221 Baker St 3.5 2 1 10/20 4,275,000 NA 2775 Green St 5 4.5 2 10/23 4,950,000 NA LIFE 2430 Broadway 5 6 3 10/20 9,000,000 NA
Condos / Co-ops / TICs / Lofts at the 1450 Post St #605 1 1 1 10/23 157,000 157,000 JUDITH SKINNER 1450 Post St #207 1 1 1 10/26 190,012 185,000 1450 Post St #817 1 1 1 11/12 269,500 217,000 Fine Gardening 1450 Post St #717 1 1 1 10/26 233,272 223,000 38 Years of Experience Book now for holiday portraits 1450 Post St #201 1 2 1 11/2 320,612 315,000 TOP 2468-A Bush St 1 1 1 10/16 349,000 349,000 [email protected] 2040 Franklin St #806 1 1 1 10/30 395,000 389,000 415.776.8272 1450 Post St #209 2 2 1 11/6 400,000 408,500 Celebrated designer’s 2701 Van Ness Ave #403 1 1 1 10/30 425,000 415,000 1450 Post St #306 1 1.5 1 11/9 491,252 473,000 Lafayette Park aerie 2420 Geary Blvd #B 1 1 1 10/16 535,000 525,000 stars in a new book 1800 Washington St #612 1 1 1 10/16 605,000 597,500 2185 Bush #209 2 1 1 11/10 599,000 619,900 2701 Van Ness Ave #601 1 1 1 11/3 699,000 699,000 By Diane Dorrans Saeks 1655 Greenwich St 1 1 1 10/22 699,000 699,000 2311 Scott St #2 1 1 1 10/23 749,000 749,000 t’s grand opera — at its most alluring. 3065 Clay St #101 1 1.5 1 10/29 775,000 760,000 In his dramatic new Pacifi c Heights
penthouse, designer Orlando Diaz- PHOTOGRAPHS BY TIM STREET - PORTER 2185 Bush St #307 3 2 1 10/19 799,999 790,000 I Azcuy simplifi ed the original interior 3011 Jackson St #2 2 1 1 10/30 835,000 847,000 Designer Orlando Diaz-Azcuy’s work 1732 Baker St 2 1 1 10/29 799,000 850,000 architecture to create a dynamic gallery —including his penthouse apartment for the cr`eme de la cr`eme of his art and 1940 Sacramento St #4 3 2 1 10/22 895,000 895,000 on Lafayette Park—is featured in a antiques. lavish new monograph by the noted 1568 Union St #102 2 2 1 10/16 849,000 901,500 Orlando Diaz-Azcuy is a passionate design writer Diane Dorrans Saeks, 2245 Franklin St 2 2 1 11/4 900,000 920,000 modernist at heart. So it’s not surprising who also lives in the neighborhood. 1835 Franklin St #701 2 2 1 10/30 989,000 950,000 that after spending a decade in a stately 1755 Filbert St #1W 2 2 1 10/28 995,000 1,001,000 and rambling 1920s Spanish Revival 2360 Greenwich St 2 2 1 10/21 1,095,000 1,075,000 house in St. Francis Wood he became 1857 Lombard St #2 3 2 1 11/4 1,149,000 1,100,000 restless. He started hunting for a 1857 Lombard St #1 3 2 1 11/10 1,199,000 1,100,000 modern apartment closer to his 17th fl oor of a 1960s building in Pacifi c the antiques and the art and sumptuous into a corner near the front entrance. 2295 Vallejo St #310 2 2 1 11/6 1,198,000 1,140,000 downtown studio. Heights near Lafayette Park. fabrics.” Floors throughout the house are a soft 1900 Broadway #4 2 2 1 10/21 1,375,000 1,270,000 “I wanted an apartment in a “Th e apartment was a standard three Walls throughout the apartment pale blue-gray Blue Lagoon limestone 2442 Clay St 3 2 1 10/30 1,649,000 1,700,000 contemporary building that was in the bedroom, with lowered ceilings, and all have been sprayed with eggshell-fi nish with a fl amed fi nish. Th e apartment has 2769 Union St 3 2 2 11/10 1,950,000 1,775,000 right location, and not far from my offi ce,” chopped up into small rooms,” recalls off -white paint for a smooth, brush- subfl oor radiant heat. 3008 Clay St #A 3 2.5 1 11/13 1,995,000 1,850,000 says the designer. Diaz-Azcuy. Residences in the building free eff ect. Mechanicals and wiring are “I am always tempted to see how Diaz-Azcuy, who founded ODA face either directly north to the gray concealed in sections of lowered ceilings simple I can make drywall look, and I am Hot property: a renovated Design Associates in 1987, works on swathe of the bay or south over rows of that run along the hallway. He even seldom tempted to embellish,” says Diaz- 4-bedroom a range of residential and commercial Victorian houses and distant hills iced minimized the doors by concealing frames Azcuy. Victorian interiors. After 40 years of designing with fog. While most San Franciscans in the walls. Th e spacious, open rooms are the (center) just interiors for his clients, the Cuban-born set their hearts on a bay view, with the Diaz-Azcuy extended his apartment ultimate thrill for a modernist, and the listed at 1711 designer decided to create his dream Golden Gate Bridge and Bay Bridge fi ve feet onto a former balcony, in the interiors are dazzlingly edited. “I like a Broderick. #!,)&/2.)! 3(%,, interiors, more rigorous and pure than any framing the image, Diaz-Azcuy preferred process adding 350 square feet. sense of voluptuousness,” says Diaz-Azcuy. he had approached previously. the sunny, south-facing cityscape. “I really did not need a seven-foot- “I love the idea of monastic interiors, but !54/ 3%26)#% 2%0!)2 “San Francisco is a challenging place Two years of remodeling involved wide, 70-foot-long open terrace in San the heart desires beautiful things to look À>iÃÊEÊ/Àià for a modernist to fi nd an apartment, banishing a series of small rooms and Francisco,” he says. “It is generally too cool at and touch. I believe in superb comfort. I iVÊ }iÊ } Ìà as the city has only a handful of great opening up the space. or too windy at this height to stand or sit have a great appetite for modern furniture, «ÕÌiÀÊ >}ÃÌVà contemporary apartment buildings, so I “I didn’t want the interior architecture on the balcony. I preferred to have seven but I use it as an accent, with upholstered >VÌÀÞÊ-V i`Õi`Ê >Ìi>Vi searched for more than two years,” says to deny that it’s in a high rise,” he says. feet added to my living room, dining room pieces to actually relax on.” £x ]ÊÎä ]Ê{x ]ÊÈä ÊEÊä Ê-iÀÛVià Diaz-Azcuy. “My goal was to achieve a light, fresh-air, and study.” All this simplicity makes a sumptuous }Ê-ÞÃÌiÊEÊ/À>ÃÃÃÊ*ÀLià “Finally I discovered this penthouse in California feeling.” A wall of glass windows and sliding background for his collections of art -}Ê/iÃÌÃÊEÊ,i«>ÀÃÊvÀÊ>ÕÀi Pacifi c Heights with 10-foot ceilings and He stripped down the interior doors runs along the south-facing and antiques. Eccentricity, contrasts and >ÌÌiÀiÃÊEÊ-Ì>ÀÌ}Ê*ÀLià Holiday slowdown slow to come this year views from the Pacifi c Ocean to the East architecture to make it feel calm, very apartment. Th e eastern edge is now surprises in furniture and art are key to the ÀÊ,i«>ÀÃÊvÊ>Ê/Þ«ià Bay, and I bought it on the spot,” says the minimal. No baseboards, no trim, no reshaped into two bedrooms and a designer’s confi dent style. he fi nal weeks of the fall market are proving to be extremely active, with 41 1,"* ÊUÊ* - ÊUÊ , local closings during the past month—an impressive 58 percent increase designer. moldings. comfortable study. At the opposite end >ÃÌ]ÊÀi`ÞÊEÊÕ>À>Ìii` Tfrom the previous month. To fi nd a more active period, one needs to go A perfectionist, Diaz-Azcuy “But I have to have luxury, too,” he is a large living room adjacent to the Excerpted from Orlando Diaz-Azcuy, back to the “pre-recession” period of May 2008, when 50 sales were recorded. immediately planned a ceiling-to-fl oor notes. “Th at comes from the soaring dining room, and a long, broad hallway. © 2009, published by Rizzoli International Óxä£Ê >vÀ>Ê>ÌÊ-ÌiiÀÊÊÊUÊÊÊ{£x®ÊxÈÇÈx£Ó While the current housing market has improved from earlier in the year, it is redesign of his apartment, which is on the spaces, the span of windows, and then A practical white kitchen is fi tted Publications. `>ÞÊÌ ÀÕ} ÊÀ`>ÞÊÊnÊ>°°ÊÌÊÈÊ«°° still in a very different place from years past. Properties are taking longer to sell: The average days on the market has gone from 52 days in May 2008 to 68 days. And sales activity is more concentrated at the lower end: 61 percent of most The UPS Store recent sales were below $1 million, compared to 48 percent in May 2008. The ii«ÊÞÕÀÊÛÃÌÀà most important factor contributing to this shift is more favorable interest rates 1770 Post Street and down payment requirements. ÊÌ iÊi} LÀ ` The notable high-end closing this month was 2430 Broadway—an extensively Post & Webester remodeled 5-bedroom, 6-bath home with expansive north side views. The JAPANTOWN property received immediate attention and went into contract within days of 415-929-9200 being listed. The 6-bedroom, 6.5-bath home at 3855 Washington came on the 8am-6:30pm M-F market in early October listed at $8 million. While it does not have the views of 2430 Broadway, it was beautifully remodeled and went into contract nine days 9am-5pm SAT after being listed. That deal fell apart several weeks later, but the home went 2 Sundays before Christmas back into contract shortly after and reportedly four offers were received at that time. The property is scheduled to close next month. 11:30a.m-4:00pm NEW LISTINGS: As we enter the holidays, we typically see new listings slow Tuning • Restoration • Music down. But this year appears to be somewhat of an exception, at least so far. There have been several new listings of note. One is 1711 Broderick, a Pianos at their best! One hour FREE PARKING in the beautifully renovated Victorian 4-bedroom, 4-bath home. The property was Buy • Sell • Rent Japan Center Garages!! listed just under $2.7 million and is sure to receive immediate interest. Another is 2874 Bush Street. It is rare to see a single family home in the neighborhood Michael W. Perry listed below $1 million, but this 2-bedroom, 1-bath home listed at $595,000. Labeled a fi xer, there are sure to be issues with deferred maintenance. But the & Company lot is also zoned RH2, meaning a 2-unit building could be constructed there, so there is a possible development opportunity as well. Fine Custom Framing Antique Prints & Maps ÓÓΣÊ*iÊ-ÌÀiiÌÊÊ — Data and commentary provided by JOHN FITZGERALD, a partner in iÌÜiiÊ7iLÃÌiÀÉÀi the Byzantium Brokerage and an agent at Pacifi c Union. Contact him at 2011 Divisadero Street at Sacramento • jfi [email protected] or call 345-3034. 1837 Divisadero 415-563-8853 {£x°Î{È°££ÊUÊÜÜÜ°>ÀÌÃÌðV 415 / 567-1800 www.mwperry.com www.pianocareco.com 14 NEW FILLMORE December 2009 December 2009 NEW FILLMORE 15