Presenting The Real Plan For Raging On Castro Street
April 25, 2013
While the Apple rumor was debunked, a plugged-in tipster passes along confirmation that the group doing business as RR-SF, Inc. (a.k.a. “Raging Rooster”) will be presenting their plan for the old Bank of America building at 400 Castro Street (a.k.a. the former Diesel store) to the Merchants of Upper Market & Castro next week.
With the rumor mill grinding away, so to speak, it ought to be an interesting presentation.
∙ Apple Has Reportedly Set Their Sights On This Castro Street Site [SocketSite]
∙ Apple Rumor Busted But In Part Confirmed As Well [SocketSite]
Comments from Plugged-In Readers
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The perfect place for a gentlemen’s club. That lap dance will be so convenient to transit, too.
The proposal is for a strip club for gay men. I see about as much chance this will be welcomed by the neighborhood and approved as I do for the possibility that rent control will be repealed by the end of the month.
Finally- a strip club in SF for gay men! I’ve always been confused by the total lack of any quality type of strip joint in the city. Can’t wait!
Finally. Now I don’t have to go to Vegas.
yuck.
They can put whatever they want there, but it seems like a questionable use of space. Can this type of thing make money? Besides, you can just open an app and have a naked man show up at your house for free…
This would be a perfect spot for The Abbey in Los Angeles to make an expansion. It is about time San Francisco got a taste of what might be one of the most enjoyable bar/cafe/entertainment spaces on the West Coast.
Castro nightlife needs an energy boost BAD, and althouh it may be among the first gay districts in the country, it no longer seems to be able to keep up with the high end clubs and restaurants that are flourishing in West Hollywood, or Boystown Chicago, Miami or NYC.
I’ve already seen excessive hand-wringing by those who feel that this site deserves a tenant worthy of its status as the gateway to Gay SF.
To that I respond: exactly, the gateway to fisting paraphernalia, pr0n, mediocre restaurants, vacant storefronts, bars owned by one of two people,etc
As a gay, I 100% support this proposal. Why cant there be a non skanky gay male strip club in SF?
Just what the area needs; ex-Lime going suburbanites descending down on this space for their bachelorette parties. Have we not learned our lesson from Trigger? SF gays don’t want bottle service and Miami glam.
Something more Abby-esque like the above poster suggested ie Restaurant/club/theatre/flex space would be so much more successful.
Because SF surely cant think more outside of the envelope than imagining the Abbey!
The Abbey is the QVC of gay bars. If you are out in LA and wanting to find suburbanites, they will be at the Abbey.
@Bob
And yet Chippendale’s for gay dudes is so edgy and original.
Suburbanites at the Abbey? I think of it as a large living room for West Hollywood. It may attract folks from the suburbs, but I have spotted Anderson Cooper there with “friend”, Madonna and her dancers, as well as David Beckham and wife, Lisa Vanderpump, etc. etc. It is one of those places that many people stop by for a short while to have a drink and check out the crowd. I don’t go to L.A. like I used to so I can’t say if it is still as popular.
http://sfist.com/2013/04/09/new_male_strip_club_trying_to_move.php
@ Bob: maybe, because male strip clubs are simply “skanky” by definition.
This is a horrible place for a strip club. The neighborhood definitely doesn’t want it, and there is little reason that one needs to go in that location.
Great, just what the Castro needs, another sex shop / sleaze center to go along with the empty store fronts and homeless meth heads. So sad what this neighborhood has become.
@anonandon – it’s still as popular. I was there this past October and Elton John was there, as was Lance Bass (not exactly A list, I know).
The condo owners next door will love this ideas.
what about the children?
As likely to be approved as converting a distinctive National Landmark building into a porn studio in a hot and up-and-coming residential and tourist corridor.
This is just sad. It will definitely accelerate the neighborhood’s transformation into the Fisherman’s Wharf of the LGBT crowd.
Stupid/lame idea. And the Abbey? Really? Move to LA if you want the Abbey.
Gay male strip clubs are a haven for bachelorette parties…yay! They get to swarm gay bars to celebrate being able to get married and in turn rub it in our faces — all of this while getting drunk and puking all over the floor! I also agree that the proponents are going to have a hard time selling it to the neighborhood, let alone the Planning and Entertainment big brothers.
You can see naked men across the street for free (well, in a thong nowadays..thanks to S. Weiner – kudo’s).
Don’t like this idea. Not against the idea of that business, but it being located at that corner, with bus / transit right there, I think is a bad idea.
There has to be a better option.
An open cafe/bar/entertainment space used by the entire neighborhood like the Abbey is “lame”? Having people like Elton John and Hillary Clinton sitting nearby (yes- she has been photographed there with David Geffen and Ron Burkle having snacks and cocktails) is “stupid”? I think all of this is just a typical San Francisco knee jerk negative reaction to any idea that may come out of Los Angeles.
What I like about the Abbey is that it is gay AND straight, yound and old, rich and poor, and it is open to the street and not dark, closed and dirty like so many Castro places have been. I could totally see how the B of A building could have openings to the street, cafe tables outside, and develop a real energy for this corner, like The Abbey.
The only thing that is “Lame” is a strip club.
Invented, what is your source that the building is a National Landmark? It’s not on the list maintained by the National Park Service, nor is it designated an historic resource by the city or the state.
Agree with FedUp. A cafe like the Abbey would be a great addition to The Castro.
And yea, so many San Franciscan think they are so damn cool that they put down EVERYTHING from LA, NY, London, or Paris.
‘Cause of course we have it all: the homeless, the trash, the lack of greenery, the crappy transit system, the law breaking cyclists, the hipsters, et al. and thanks again to Scott for getting rid of those damn, annoying, egotistical nudists.
emanon
Sorry, I was making a reference to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Armory
They give periodic tours for architecture buffs.
OK, I get it now. Your tongue in cheek reference went over my head. Sorry.
SFist and Castro Biscuit broke this story two weeks ago. You guys are lagging a bit.
[Editor’s Note: Call us crazy, but we thought some people might like to know that the actual plan will be presented this week.]
I agree with all the good things said about the Abbey in West Hollywood. We need something like that in the Castro. It’ll be a much better use of the former Diesel-building. Hopefully it’ll push out all the anti-social hooligans that hang out at that prominent corner of the Castro.
Well hopefully if they put a space like Abbey in there, they can find employees that won’t get the place sued by multiple women for employees drugging and raping them.
Now they are name-checking the Abbey to the press. It’s going to be a “gentlemen’s club” with no nudity.
UPDATE: While The Rumor Mill Was Grinding Away, No Strip Club On Castro Street