During its approximately two years of peak business, the Eagle was also home to the largest area leather contests (Daddy's Boy, Mr. On Friday and Saturday nights the relatively large dance floor was packed with dancing half-naked men.
The bar often enforced a dress code requiring either leather or levi slacks and boots to enter. The Eagle was a leather/levi bar with a dance floor, and was initially extremely popular. The Milwaukee Eagle was opened in the basement of the Sidney HiH building on Novem(Quest 4-20 pgs 13-14+16), in a location which had previously held two other gay bars: first the disco 'Golden Shaft', and then the Unicorn, about 15 years previously (when Factory II/ Kisses was popular right across the river to the east). The Eagle remained closed throughout the pandemic, but reopened for business in June.Ĭurrent owner Lex Montiel, speaking before the Land Use Committee last month, said, "The San Francisco Eagle has been an institution for many, many years," and it's remained a vital touchstone because it is "open to every color and flavor of our community."Īnd, also during that meeting, per the Bay Area Reporter, Haney called the bar "a cornerstone of the Leather and LGBTQ Cultural District, an important historical asset, a cultural institution, and a community anchor that deserves all of the protections and privileges that the city can provide." And Haney added "it is imperative that we acknowledge this significance, and that we endeavor to prevent this rich history and essential part of SOMA from being erased due to the de-stabilizing pressures of ongoing gentrification and development.Milwaukee Eagle- Bars and Clubs: Businesses in the History of Gay & Lesbian Life, Milwaukee WI History
As of two years ago, these are all now part of the Leather and LGBTQ Cultural District, and the area of 12th Street directly outside the Eagle is now a public plaza called Eagle Plaza. The area now has only four remaining - Hole in the Wall, Powerhouse, the Lone Star (sometimes), and the Eagle - along with a few leather businesses like Mr. The Eagle opened in 1981 at a time when much of this part of SoMa was populated with gay leather bars. And now that the bar has landmark status, removing it from this location could prove more difficult. There is still no immediate danger of the bar itself closing, even if a property sale goes through.
Two other SF LGBTQ bar sites have been made landmarks: Twin Peaks Tavern in the Castro (notable for being the first gay bar in the city to have windows facing the street so patrons could be seen inside), and the former Paper Doll bar and restaurant site in North Beach.įans of the Eagle, many of whom are part of the gay leather community, were anxious to learn that the bar property was up for sale a year ago, though it appears not to be on the market now. Thank you Lex Montiel, & everyone from the who worked with us to make this happen. It is just the 7th LGBT historic site & first LGBT landmark in SoMa. The SF Eagle Bar was just approved unanimously as a historic city landmark!