| The Anxious Asp | |
|---|---|
 Entrance to the Anxious Asp (ca. 1965) | |
 | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Previous owner(s) | Arlene Arbuckle |
| Street address | 528 Green Street, San Francisco, California |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 37°47′59″N122°24′29″W / 37.799812°N 122.407947°W |
TheAnxious Asp was a lesbian and bohemian bar in operation from 1958 to 1967 at 528 Green Street in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California, U.S.. [1]
It began in 1955 as a cabaret with the same name, and was purchased in 1958 by Arlene Arbuckle. [2] Arbuckle also owned the Paper Doll Club, and The Capri. [3] Arbuckle had pivoted The Anxious Asp to a more mixed queer and bohemian crowd (many of which were related to the Beat movement), and they shared staff and clientele with "The Place" and Vesuvio Cafe. [2] [4] The restrooms were wallpapered with pages from the Kinsey Reports, two controversial human sexual behavior books. [2] [4] Notable clients to the former bar included Janis Joplin, [5] and Lew Ellingham. [4]
In total, a collection of San Francisco LGBT venues opened and flourished in the late-1950s, including Tommy's Place/12 Adler Place, Ann's 440, Miss Smith's Tea Room, the Tin Angel, the Copper Lantern, the Front, and Our Club. [6]
Joseph "Bunny" Simon, a Louisiana Creole, was not welcome at the original bar in the 1960s due to race; however in 1976 Simon opened a new club with the same name, the Anxious Asp on Haight Street. [7] [8]
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