Tin Angel (San Francisco)

Last updated
Tin Angel
On-The-Levee
Tin Angel (San Francisco)
Restaurant information
Previous owner(s)Peggy Tolk–Watkins (1953 to 1958),
Kid Ory (1958 to 1961)
Street address981 Embarcadero,
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Coordinates 37°48′11″N122°24′06″W / 37.803175°N 122.401589°W / 37.803175; -122.401589
Active dates1953–July 1961

The Tin Angel was a lesbian nightclub, live music venue, and restaurant in operation from 1953 to 1961, on the Embarcadero at 981 Embarcadero (near Pier 23) in San Francisco, California, U.S. [1] The venue and its founder were credited as "spearheading the 'Jazz on the Waterfront' movement" in the 1950s. [2] In 1958, the club ownership changed and it was renamed On-The-Levee, before its closure in July 1961.

Contents

History

It was owned and managed by self-taught painter Peggy Tolk–Watkins, who worked in partnership with bordello owner and former Sausalito mayor, Sally Stanford. [3] Tolk–Watkins had previously opened a similar venue also named Tin Angel at 588 Bridgeway Boulevard in Sausalito, California from 1948 to July 1951. [1] [4] [5] [6] [7] Tolk–Watkins was referred to as "queen of the dykes", [8] and Tin Angel was considered a lesbian nightclub. [9]

Folk singer Odetta got her start performing at the Tin Angel in San Francisco. [1] [10] A short while later Odetta joined the duo of Odetta and Larry and they performed at the Tin Angel for about 8 months. The Odetta and Larry duo released a self-titled album on Fantasy Records, recorded in 1953 and 1954 at the Tin Angel. [11] Other performers at Tin Angel included Bob Scobey, Turk Murphy, Kid Ory, Muggsy Spanier, George Lewis, Bob Mielke, Claire Austin, and Lizzie Miles with Wally Rose. [12]

The album cover for Turk Murphy's When The Saints Go Marching In (1954) features an image of the interior of the club. [12]

In total, a collection of San Francisco LGBT venues opened and flourished in the early 1950s, including the Tin Angel, Paper Doll Club, The Beige Room, Tommy's Place/12 Adler Place, Miss Smith’s Tea Room, Dolan's, and Gordon's. [3] In 1954, Tolk–Watkins opened another venue in San Francisco named, The Fallen Angel at 1144 Pine Street, the building was formerly the Sally Stanford bordello. [4] [13] In June 1958, Tolk–Watkins sold the Tin Angel club to Kid Ory, and it was renamed On-The-Levee. [12] [14] The bar closed in July 1961, and was demolished in 1962 because of the creation of the Embarcadero Freeway. [12]

It was featured in the Kim Anno art exhibition "Lost and Found: A Museum of Lesbian Memory, Part 1" (2000) shown at "The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Historical Society of Northern California," and at the San Francisco Public Library. [15]

See also

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References

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