The Newfillmore

■ INSIDE ■ MUSIC ■ REAL ESTATE Farewell 2 Th ey’ve Got the A Local View Crime Watch 4 First Person 5 Dancing Blues of the Market Art 10 A local couple start Neighborhood native Local History 12 their own blues festival has a unique perspective Home Sales 14 PAGE 6 PAGE 15 THE NEW FILLMORE SANSAN FRANCISCO FRANCISCO ■ ■ AUGUST APRIL 2010 2014 Th e Last Great Saloonlord For 45 Years, Perry Butler Has Served the Regulars By Chris Barnett id you hear the one about the architect in a cab on Union Street Dwho realized he was short of money? “Pull over at Perry’s; they’ll cash a check,” he told the cabbie. “Wait here,” he said to his date. “I’ll be right out.” As he walked in, barkeep Michael McCourt yelled “Hey Russ, the usual?” and poured him a stiff one. Another regular came over. “Hey Russ, good to see you. Let me buy you a drink.” Another pal waved from down the bar. “Next one’s on me.” Ten years later, the architect, Russell Giff ord, was perched on his favorite stool at Perry’s and his date from that night walked in the door. He saw her in the backbar mirror, turned around and cracked: “I told you to wait in the cab.” Th e top bartenders in town — who worked at Perry’s at SUSIE BIEHLER some point in their careers — are still telling that one. Yet this month on the 45th anniversary of the Union Street thirst par- lor and restaurant bearing his “Th ey say the name, you would never hear classics are back, that tale told by the proprietor, Perry Butler. He’s too much of but we never a gentleman. stopped doing In a city where barrooms have morphed from brawl- the classics.” ing whiskey and beer joints in — PERRY BUTLER proprietor, then and now, canvas tents to temples staff ed of Perry’s on Union by high priests of the shot glass who dub themselves cocktail- ians and mixologists, Perry’s on Union stands alone as San Francisco’s last great saloon. TO PAGE 8 X DON HEINY FAREWELL #!,)&/2.)!3(%,, !54/3%26)#%2%0!)2 À>iÃÊEÊ/ÀiÃ iVÊ }iÊ} ÌÃ «ÕÌiÀÊ >}ÃÌVÃ >VÌÀÞÊ-V i`Õi`Ê>Ìi>Vi £x]ÊÎä]Ê{x]ÊÈäÊEÊäÊ-iÀÛViÃ }Ê-ÞÃÌiÊEÊ/À>ÃÃÃÊ*ÀLiÃ -}Ê/iÃÌÃÊEÊ,i«>ÀÃÊvÀÊ>ÕÀi >ÌÌiÀiÃÊEÊ-Ì>ÀÌ}Ê*ÀLiÃ ÀÊ,i«>ÀÃÊvÊ>Ê/Þ«iÃ Karen Pearson (second from left in photo) is remembered in a posting at Peet’s. 1,"* ÊUÊ* - ÊUÊ , >ÃÌ]ÊÀi`ÞÊEÊÕ>À>Ìii` Óxä£Ê >vÀ>Ê>ÌÊ-ÌiiÀÊÊÊUÊÊÊ{£x®ÊxÈÇÈx£Ó A Familiar Face Is Missing `>ÞÊÌ ÀÕ} ÊÀ`>ÞÊÊnÊ>°°ÊÌÊÈÊ«°° A local dies, and the neighborhood feels a loss he venerable Victorian build- on Sunday, July 13, and remembered her ing at 2550 California Street had as a kind neighbor and friend, one who already seen its share of troubles. sometimes asked the baristas for “just an TA fi re a few years ago had done signifi cant extra splash” of coff ee, as if Peet’s were a damage and left its tenants in temporary local diner. quarters during a lengthy top-to-bottom “Life had dealt Karen some particularly renovation. hard blows in the last 10 years,” her friend Th ey fi nally moved back in a few months Fiona Varley wrote in an email to more ago, but the fi re trucks were back again on than 125 of her friends, “from being diag- Sunday afternoon, July 6, when one of the nosed with stage III ovarian cancer, being tenants, Karen Pearson, was found dead in homeless for fi ve years when her building her apartment. was struck by fi re, being unemployed for Th e news traveled quickly to her wide many years and now fi nally going through network of neighborhood friends, centered the eviction process.” around a coff ee group that convened early Yet friends remembered her as relent- most mornings at Peet’s on Fillmore. Pear- lessly upbeat. Several recalled her frequent son was a regular, quick to say hello and invitations to events at the Mechanics’ make introductions, or smile at a child, or Institute at 57 Post Street, where she was pat a dog. She was one of those familiar a longtime member and a dedicated volun- faces often seen around the neighborhood. teer. A more formal memorial will be held Many of her friends gathered at Peet’s there on Friday, August 25, from 5:30 to for an impromptu memorial a week later, 8:30 p.m. THE NEW FILLMORE newfi llmore.com 2184 Sutter Street #202 ■ San Francisco, CA 94115 ■ 415-441-6070 editors@newfi llmore.com Editors | Barbara Kate Repa & Thomas R. Reynolds Production Editor | Ginny Lindsay Copy Editor | Donna Gillespie Advertising inquiries ads@newfi llmore.com 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 Artisan apparel for nomads and romantics Every month, 20,000 copies of the New Fillmore are delivered to homes and businesses in the Fillmore, Pacifi c Heights and Japantown. We thank you for 2326 Fillmore St. • 415.513.1559 your support and encouragement and welcome your ideas and suggestions. San Francisco • Boston • Chicago • Kansas City • Santa Fe • Washington, DC • London peruvianconnection.com newfi llmore.com | updates, videos and an archive of back issues 2 NEW FILLMORE August 2014 Live Music & Cultural Performances on 2 Stages Food Fest • Asian Artisans • Nonprofit Info Tables • Corporate Info Booths Children’s World • Doggie World & Parade • Sounds of Thunder Car Show NSF 1st Annual No. CA Co-Ed Basketball Tournament CRIME WATCH Outstanding Warrant Burglary Geary Boulevard and Divisadero Street Van Ness Avenue and Sacramento Street July 2, 5:08 p.m. July 13, 5:21 p.m. Offi cers in a patrol car spotted a man on Offi cers on patrol were fl agged down foot they knew from prior contacts. Th ey by a citizen who was extremely upset. He stopped him, asked for ID and learned told the offi cers his store had just been bur- there was an active warrant for his arrest. glarized, and pointed out a gray vehicle he When they searched him, they found he believed belonged to the suspects. Th e offi - was carrying drug paraphernalia. He was cers saw two men jump inside the vehicle arrested without incident. and speed away. Th ey gave chase, activating their lights and siren, but the driver did not Driving While Intoxicated stop. Th e offi cers then broadcast a descrip- Geary Boulevard and Masonic Street tion of the car and requested the assistance July 3, 4:25 a.m. of additional offi cers. As the driver contin- Offi cers patrolling Geary Boulevard ued to fl ee, one passenger jumped out and carried out an enforcement stop on a driver tried to escape on foot. One offi cer got out who was speeding and driving without his of the patrol car and sprinted after that headlights on. While talking to the driver, suspect while the other offi cer continued they observed he was slurring his words. to pursue the driver. With the assistance Th ey performed a fi eld sobriety test, which of additional units, both suspects were he failed. Th e suspect was arrested for driv- eventually taken into custody. Th e man ing under the infl uence. whose store had been burglarized identi- fi ed the two suspects, who were booked at Driving While Intoxicated county jail. Geary Boulevard and Masonic Street July 4, 8:32 p.m. Robbery With Force Offi cers found a man who had passed Eddy and Divisadero Streets out in the driver’s seat of a stationary vehi- July 14, 1:45 p.m. cle. Th ey conducted a well-being check. A witness called the police about a Th e man failed a fi eld sobriety test and robbery. When they arrived they learned the offi cers determined he was under the the person who had been robbed was an infl uence of narcotics. He was booked into 8-year-old child who had been selling county jail for driving while intoxicated. candy. Th e suspect had followed the child, grabbed her, took her money and fl ed. Th e Battery incident is still under investigation. Eddy and Pierce Streets July 6, 2 p.m. Theft Offi cers received a report that two men Fillmore and O’Farrell Streets were engaged in a fi ght. Police learned on July 15, 10:07 a.m. arrival that the two men involved knew one Offi cers on routine patrol were dis- other. Th e fi ght had started with a verbal patched to Starbucks regarding a theft. argument, then one man pushed a broken Th ey met with an employee who told gate at the other man. Th e gate fell over, them that a man took orange juice, then injuring the foot of the man who had been left the store without paying for it. Th e attacked. Th e incident is under investiga- employee said she followed the suspect tion. outside and told him to give back the juice. Th e man refused, then threw the Auto Burglary juice at her and kicked her in the leg. Geary Boulevard and Masonic Avenue Th e woman struggled with the suspect and July 9, 10:24 a.m. shouted to the other employees to call the Offi cers responded to a report of an police.

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