Inclusion on the San Francisco Legacy Business Register is a tribute to many of our beloved local businesses that have been around for 30 years or more. This honor is given to popular bars and restaurants, recording studios, or especially popular post office and mailbox businesses.
But the Chronicle reported today that the SF Historic Preservation Commission was considering an older business name for the North Beach strip club, the Condor Club. And while that club is believed to be the first non-elite bar in the US, the nomination has sparked a heated debate over whether the city should give money and resources to a club that’s more sexist than culture.
Several current and former Condor employees (all male) spoke passionately about the club’s place in San Francisco history and culture. Longtime Condor Club employee Derek Thomston told the commission that “The Condor is a pillar of the community in North Beach, and perhaps most accurately, it gives people a place to relieve stress and provide them with a safe haven.”
But commissioners described the club’s history as “exploitative”, saying the club’s application showed no evidence that women had progressed beyond dancing or bartending. Commissioners noted that Condor is a place where “employment or promotion is based on sexual orientation.”
Yes, the club was the launch pad for the famous topless dancer Carol Doda, and the Condor app included quotes from the great Herb Kane. But commissioner Ruchira Nageswaran said: “Herb Kane’s quotes in the nominations were described as ‘respectful’ to Carol Dodan, but rather than describing her as a person or her acting.
“Condor’s nomination recognizes that throughout the history of the business, ownership has been exclusively with men,” added Nageswarn. “And in an article memorializing her, Carol Doda quit her long career at Condor, claiming she was underpaid. It’s amazing because she was instrumental in defining the business.”
And Nageswaran adds that the club may be a point in the sexual revolution, but in ways that don’t fill time.
“For all types of nominees, it is important to see increased racial and social equality reflected in their nominations,” she said, adding that “women’s emancipation creates equal opportunities with other genders due to ability and sexism.”
Other commissioners argued that Condor’s application should not be penalized for sexism that was common in the past.
“I grew up in Indiana with a mother who sold real estate. And I’m telling you right now, she’s just as bad,” said Commissioner Chris Foley. “I don’t think it’s our job to tell a hot dog manufacturer to make vegetarian hot dogs any more than if someone sells me hot dogs and I only eat vegetarian food.”
But there was a consensus that the Legacy Business app was already based entirely on Doda showing off her breasts and showed no commitment to truly uplift women.
“When I saw other older businesses come to us, they were already willing to show how much community service they do, and how much they do and how much work they do to really address the social and racial equity elements,” he said. Commissioner Lydia So. “But what we lack to see [from the Condor] What are some other things you can do or do to promote a better place for women?
The commission proposed Condor’s approval as a legacy business, but one that suffered from a number of additional hurdles and an additional bureaucratic process that would require some commitment to promote women rather than simply remove them.
They recommended that it be approved, but that Condor would consider “developing a framework” for women’s training and promotion, particularly those in the business core, and that it would consider incorporating these recommendations into the SF Department’s Women and Minority Affairs Review. Trade Commission.
So the Condor Club didn’t get the final Legacy Business license on Wednesday. Their application now goes to the Small Business Commission, which may send it to the SF Board of Supervisors before final approval.
