The Tin Angel was a lesbiannightclub, 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.
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]
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]
^ abcd"Tin Angel - On the Levee". The San Francisco Traditional Jazz Foundation Collection - Spotlight at Stanford. Stanford University. 2018-08-09. Archived from the original on 2021-11-28. Retrieved 2023-04-16.