Bay Area/ San Francisco/ Arts & Culture
Published on September 27, 2024
City Identifies New Castro Home For GLBT History Museum with $11.6M PurchasePhoto: Steven Bracco/Hoodline

The Castro's GLBT Historical Society Museum will soon have a new home after the city announced it's purchasing the Market & Noe Center (2280 Market Street).

Mayor London Breed and District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman announced the $11.6 million purchase in a joint statement on Thursday.

The GLBT Historical Society Museum currently occupies an approximately 1,600-square-foot space at 4127 18th Street (at Castro).

“The Castro is the heart of LGBTQ culture in this City and this country, and it is the perfect place for a museum that will preserve and celebrate LGBTQ history, culture, and arts for generations to come,” said Mayor Breed.

 

The Market & Noe Center was originally purchased in 1928 by Finnish immigrants, husband and wife Matti and Sandra Finnila, who paid $20,000 for it. The property was listed for $17 million in 2021, decreased to $14.5M, and sold for $11.6M.

Matti constructed what came to be known as the "Finnish Baths" alongside his son Alfred, who also worked on the Golden Gate Bridge construction and adjoining Bridge Round House.

Today the two-story, approximately 22,330 square foot space, houses two tenants: fitness studio Barry's (formerly Barry's Bootcamp) and urgent care clinic Dignity Health-Go Health Urgent Care.

The approximately 10,772 square foot vacant second-floor space previously occupied by real estate company Corcoran Global Living will serve as the museum's new home.


Finnila's Finnish Baths in 1934. |  Photo: Courtesy of Kent Jeffrey

 

“Today, San Francisco is yet again making history,” said Roberto Ordeñana, Executive Director of the GLBT Historical Society. “This investment is more than the purchase of a building; it is about creating a home to share the lessons of LGBTQ and allied history that will be housed inside, led by trailblazers before us, activists who are with us today, and the leaders of the future that will ensure our stories, our struggles, and our hopes for a better tomorrow are forever understood."

In 2021, Mayor Breed allocated $12.5 million from the city budget to purchase a site for the future home of an LGBT museum. In 2022, State Senator Scott Wiener set aside $5.5 million for the project.

“This Museum will ensure future generations can learn from that history for many years to come," said Senator Wiener. "We worked hard to obtain support for the Museum in the state budget, and I look forward to adding another new attraction to our thriving ecosystem of world-class San Francisco LGBTQ institutions.” 


GLBT History Museum at 4127 18th St. | Photo: Steven Bracco/Hoodline

 

The city and Supervisor Mandelman had long sought the former Pottery Barn (2390 Market) and San Francisco Fire Credit Union space, but the property owners were asking at least $15 million. That space has remained vacant since 2017 and is still seeking a long-term tenant.

“Finding this site took years of work and commitment, but we did not waver in finding a home that would honor San Francisco as a place that elevates our LGBTQ community and celebrates those who paved the way for us to have the freedoms we enjoy today," added Mayor Breed. "I’m honored to share this historic moment with Supervisor Mandelman, Senator Wiener, the GLBT Historical Society, the Community Arts Stabilization Trust, and countless LGBTQ leaders who have advocated for this for decades. I want to thank all of those who have contributed to this monumental effort.”

“Mayor Breed deserves enormous credit for committing budget resources for this acquisition back in 2021 and preserving those funds in our City budget each year since then,” said Supervisor Mandelman. “During that time, we have explored a number of different sites in the Castro and beyond, had our hopes variously raised and dashed. In the end, I believe we have found an ideal location, in the heart of the Castro with space for the museum to make its permanent home now, and with plenty of room to expand in the future."


The former Pottery Barn space at 2390 Market St. has been vacant since 2017. |  Photo: Steven Bracco/Hoodline

 

The wildly popular Barry's has subleased the ground floor space from CVS through 2040 and Dignity Health can remain until 2036.

The property also includes one of the Castro's best-kept secrets, a rooftop 42-spot parking lot with views of the Castro, Mission, Twin Peaks, Bernal Heights, and Potrero Hill. Attached to the west side of the building is a billboard that has advertised Apple products for the past eight years.

Kent Jeffrey, grandson of Matti and Sandra, told Hoodline at the time the property was listed that he decided to sell the property due to health reasons. "I am no longer up to managing the property," said Jeffrey.

The Market & Noe Center was designed to meet the needs of Wherehouse Records, which had agreed to lease nearly three-quarters of the building. But before construction was completed, the record store backed out of its lease agreement.

Luckily, Tower Records stepped in and agreed to rent a portion of the space, eventually expanding to the second floor as business took off. In 2006, Tower Records shuttered all its stores nationwide, including the Market & Noe Center location.


Market & Noe Center prior to the remodel (undated). | Photo: Courtesy of Kent Jeffrey

 

The anchor space remained vacant until 2009 when Trader Joe's expressed interest in moving in. But after two years of on-again, off-again consideration, the grocery chain ultimately pulled out of the project in 2011.

In 2013, the Market & Noe Center signed on a new tenant, CVS Pharmacy, and underwent a remodel that consolidated the former Kard Zone space to make room for it on the ground floor. In 2014, Zephyr Real Estate (now Corcoran Global Living) moved into the second-floor space.

RadioShack, a longtime tenant, finally closed its doors in 2015. It was replaced in 2016 by a location of GoHealth Urgent Care Clinic.

In 2017 CVS Pharmacy shuttered its store after signing a 15-year lease on the approximately 10,000-square-foot space for $50,000/month.

Barry's Bootcamp then stepped in to sublease the space from CVS Pharmacy, opening in 2019.

The purchase is not yet official and needs to be approved by the Board of Supervisors. Supervisor Mandelman is expected to introduce legislation to approve the purchase on October 1.