Tenderloin Museum

Tenderloin Museum The Tenderloin Museum is an innovative museum dedicated to exploring the distinctive history of San Francisco's most misunderstood neighborhood.

Tenderloin Museum celebrates the rich history of one of San Francisco's most overlooked neighborhoods. Through history exhibitions, resident-led walking tours, community programs, and the presentation of original artwork, the Tenderloin Museum invites all comers to learn about the roots of our dynamic neighborhood, and reclaim our city's past and future. The 31 blocks of the Tenderloin District ar

e a microcosm of San Francisco, peopled by immigrants and iconoclasts, artists and activists, sinners and saints. All are welcome to join us in telling its story.

✨ Join us next week for something really special.The Tenderloin knows Sheena Rose, a beloved queen and fixture of the le...
05/28/2026

✨ Join us next week for something really special.

The Tenderloin knows Sheena Rose, a beloved queen and fixture of the legendary Aunt Charlie's Lounge. Now, Jacob Anthony Rose has put their story into words, and we're throwing a party to celebrate.

"I was a quiet boy with loud dreams. But dreams don't grow well in a house full of fear."

His debut memoir, Stillness and Survival: A Life Between Trauma, Glitter, and the Echo of My Own Voice, is a story of silence and expression, q***rness and survival, collapse and return. Join us for an evening of reading, drag performance, and community as we celebrate this essential Tenderloin artist alongside longtime friends and collaborators Bliss, Kelly Rose, Olivia Hart, Sophilya Leggz, and more.
This is Pride month the Tenderloin way: rooted in real history, real survival, and a whole lot of glitter. 💜

🗓 Thursday, June 4 | 6:30–8pm
📍 Tenderloin Museum, 398 Eddy St, SF
🎟 $10 suggested donation (+ tips for our performers!)
🚶Also part of the SF First Thursday Art Walk
👉 REGISTER: https://events.humanitix.com/stillness-and-survival-sheena-rose

Imagine dancers suspended on the side of a hotel, soaring above the intersection where the 1966 Compton's Cafeteria upri...
05/27/2026

Imagine dancers suspended on the side of a hotel, soaring above the intersection where the 1966 Compton's Cafeteria uprising ignited the trans rights movement. Performing over the same ground that was once a prehistoric salt marsh, that was once a neighborhood full of q***r bars, and that is still, stubbornly, alive.

That's TRANSMARSH.

Created and performed by trans people, for trans people and all who love them, this free outdoor vertical dance piece by BODYSTORM rewilds the Tenderloin with layers of history and asks what comes next. As BODYSTORM artistic director B Dean puts it: "Trans folks are world builders. Our bodies are experts at transition, at change, because the trans body is a force of nature, and nature is hella q***r."

Tenderloin Museum is proud to co-present two nights of this extraordinary work to kick off Pride Weekend.

Thursday, June 25
7pm: Trans History Walking Tour led by Rev. Dr. Megan Rohrer (free, limited space, separate registration)
8pm: TRANSMARSH preview performance at the Timbri Hotel, with Skywatchers, GRAVITY Access Services, and Oaklash Block Party featuring drag performers and DJs

Friday, June 26
8pm: TRANSMARSH full performance on the Taylor Street facade of the Timbri Hotel, corner of Turk & Taylor

👉 REGISTER: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/transmarsh-tickets-1988199079969 (Both nights are free.)

✍🏽 Writing Our Way Home: A workshop inspired by the poetry of Mary TallMountainWhat does it mean to belong somewhere — o...
05/27/2026

✍🏽 Writing Our Way Home: A workshop inspired by the poetry of Mary TallMountain

What does it mean to belong somewhere — or to long for a place you can't return to? Native Alaskan poet Mary TallMountain spent decades writing about home, homelessness, and the in-between. Now, two of her closest friends and fellow poets invite you to explore those same themes in your own words.

Join Kitty Costello (TallMountain's literary executor) and Kim Shuck (SF's 7th Poet Laureate & Cherokee Nation poet) for an afternoon of writing, reflection, and community — in the spirit of the legendary Tenderloin Women's Writers Workshop where TallMountain herself was a key voice.

🗓 Saturday, May 30 | 3:30–5pm
📍 Tenderloin Museum, 398 Eddy St, SF
🎟 $10 GA / $6 members (includes museum admission)
👉 REGISTER: https://events.humanitix.com/writing-our-way-home-mtm

This workshop is held in conjunction with the exhibit Finding Our Way Home: Mary TallMountain in the Tenderloin — come see the show, then write alongside two poets who knew and loved her.

🏛️ Just announced!The Tenderloin's streets are an open-air museum if you know where to look. And on June 13, you'll get ...
05/26/2026

🏛️ Just announced!

The Tenderloin's streets are an open-air museum if you know where to look. And on June 13, you'll get an expert guide.

We're excited to announce a new architecture walking tour spotlighting Herman C. Baumann, one of the most prolific designers of the post-1906 rebuild that transformed the Tenderloin into the apartment and hotel district we know today. Working alongside engineer Edward Jose, Baumann brought Spanish Colonial Revival grandeur and intricate baroque terracotta detail to dozens of buildings still standing in the neighborhood.

Leading the tour is Linda Day, seasoned walking tour guide, historian, and emeritus city planning professor, continuing her spotlight series on the architects whose buildings define the TL's built environment.

Stops include the Ga***rd Suites (620 Jones), a San Francisco landmark inspired by the 1915 Panama-California Exposition; the Farrellworth (601 O'Farrell); and the Princess Apartments (155 Hyde), showcasing Baumann's signature terracotta flourishes. All told, the tour covers twelve buildings equally split between apartments and hotels.

🗓 Saturday, June 13 | 2–3:30pm
📍 Meet at the Tenderloin Museum, 398 Eddy St
🎟 $15 tour only / $25 with TLM admission
👉 REGISTER: https://events.humanitix.com/h-c-baumann-tl-architecture-tour

🎶 Just announced!This June, Dodge Alley is about to feel like the mountains of Eastern Cuba.We're thrilled to welcome Jo...
05/26/2026

🎶 Just announced!

This June, Dodge Alley is about to feel like the mountains of Eastern Cuba.
We're thrilled to welcome Jose Andres "El Sinsonte," — lead vocalist of the Latin-Grammy nominated Changüí Guantanamo and a living master of improvised décima poetry — to the Tenderloin for an outdoor evening of changüí, the African-rooted folkloric party music born in Cuba's Oriente province.

He'll be joined by a powerhouse local trio:
🥁 Einar Leliebre — Cuba's highest-rated percussionist, recent collaborator with Omar Sosa at SFJAZZ
🎸 Kai Lyons — SF native, Cuban music scholar, and the Bay's foremost changüí evangelist
🎵 Ernesto Mazar — bassist for Omar Sosa's Quarteto Americano (and once offered the chair in Los Van Van)

As Kai Lyons puts it, changüí is "music of the people, for the people — directly tied to the Black experience and immigrant voices." Sounds like it belongs in Dodge Alley to us.

🗓 Thursday, June 11 | 5–8pm
📍 Dodge Alley (Turk & Larkin St.), SF
🎟 FREE — no registration required
🍜 $15 food & drink vouchers for nearby businesses (first come, first served!)
👉 MORE INFO: https://www.tenderloinmuseum.org/public-programs-2026-1/2026/6/11/changui-at-dodge-alley

Part of our monthly 2nd Thursdays at Dodge Alley series and the ongoing Sounds of the Tenderloin program. See you outside. 🌆

🏨 Tomorrow night, come discover the untold story of how Indian immigrants from Gujarat built a hospitality empire right ...
05/20/2026

🏨 Tomorrow night, come discover the untold story of how Indian immigrants from Gujarat built a hospitality empire right here in San Francisco!

Author Mahendra K. Doshi (Surat to San Francisco) will share how Patel trailblazers used community, mutual aid, and sheer determination to create a network of Indian-owned hotels that now stretches across the entire country. Followed by a community screening of The Patel Motel Story, the acclaimed 2025 short documentary and official Tribeca Film Festival selection. An American Dream story rooted right in our own neighborhood. See you there! 🙌

📅 TOMORROW, Thursday, May 21
🕡 6:30 PM
📍 Tenderloin Museum, 398 Eddy St., San Francisco
🎟 INFO & TICKETS: https://www.tenderloinmuseum.org/public-programs-2026-1/2026/5/21/patel-hotel-history

🏨 Did you know that Indian immigrants from Gujarat built a hospitality empire right here in San Francisco — starting wit...
05/14/2026

🏨 Did you know that Indian immigrants from Gujarat built a hospitality empire right here in San Francisco — starting with just a handful of residential hotels in the 1940s?

Come discover this remarkable untold story at the Tenderloin Museum on Thursday, May 21st!

Author Mahendra K. Doshi will share how Patel trailblazers used community, mutual aid, and sheer determination to create a network of Indian-owned hotels that now stretches across the entire country. Followed by a community screening of "The Patel Motel Story," the acclaimed 2025 short documentary that was an official Tribeca Film Festival selection!

📅 Thursday, May 21, 2026
🕡 6:30 PM
📍 Tenderloin Museum, 398 Eddy St., San Francisco
💵 $10 suggested donation
👉 INFO & TIX: https://www.tenderloinmuseum.org/public-programs-2026-1/2026/5/21/patel-hotel-history

🚨 One ticket left for Saturday's tour!"Valley of the Queens," our monthly LGBTQ+ history walking tour produced by Unspea...
05/13/2026

🚨 One ticket left for Saturday's tour!

"Valley of the Queens," our monthly LGBTQ+ history walking tour produced by Unspeakable Vice, is nearly sold out. One spot remains for this Saturday, May 16, 2:00–3:30 PM.

Led by CCA professor and q***r history expert Shawn Sprockett, the tour covers the Compton's Cafeteria Riot, SF's first Pride parade, and lesser-known stories of drag performers, s*x workers, Christian ministers, and the unlikely coalitions that built q***r San Francisco from the 1960s to the 1990s. 🏳️‍🌈

📍 Meet at Tenderloin Museum, 398 Eddy St.
🎟️ Museum admission included with ticket
👉 Grab the last spot: https://events.humanitix.com/unspeakable-vice-valley-of-the-queens-lgbtqia-walking-tour/tickets

🎶 This Thursday, Dodge Alley comes alive!The Tenderloin's favorite block party is back with something special for 2nd Th...
05/12/2026

🎶 This Thursday, Dodge Alley comes alive!

The Tenderloin's favorite block party is back with something special for 2nd Thursdays. Sruti Sarathy, Bay Area-born Carnatic violin virtuoso, joins percussionist Gopal Ravindran on mridangam for a free, open-air evening of traditional raga, improvisation, and original songs.

📍 Dodge Alley (Turk & Larkin St.), San Francisco
📅 Thursday, May 14 | 5–8 PM
🎟️ FREE • No registration needed
🍽️ First come, first served: $15 food & drink vouchers for nearby businesses
ℹ MORE INFO: https://www.tenderloinmuseum.org/public-programs-2026-1/5/14/sruti-sarathy-carnatic-music

See you in the alley. 🌆✨

Part of the Sounds of the Tenderloin series by the Tenderloin Museum, presented in collaboration with the TLCBD & SF Office of Economic and Workforce Development.

05/07/2026

A fresh batch of free and sliding-scale tickets has been released for this and next weekend's performances of The Compton's Cafeteria Riot!

🎟️ How to apply:
1. Visit the link in bio (comptonscafeteriariot.com/ctp)
2. Click APPLY
3. Submit an application for up to two tickets for the May 8, 9, 15, and/or 16 shows

Tenderloin Museum is committed to making The Compton's Cafeteria Riot accessible to the community. We offer a limited number of free and sliding-scale tickets to those who may not otherwise be able to attend. Priority is given to low-income individuals, longtime Tenderloin residents, and LGBTQ+ community members.

⚠️ Applying does not guarantee a ticket.

Selected applicants will be notified by email. You'll have a limited time to confirm. If you don't respond within the noted timeframe, your tickets will be released to another applicant. Availability is limited and not all applicants will receive a ticket, but you're welcome to reapply for a future performance. Please note that failure to attend without prior notice may impact future eligibility.

Address

398 Eddy Street
San Francisco, CA
94102

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

(415) 351-1912

Website

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