Purchased for $2.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2014 and subsequently remodeled and expanded, including the addition of a new roof deck, the former home to the first leather bar on Folsom Street, FeBe’s, which opened in 1966 and anchored the leather scene in San Francisco through the late 70s, turned Paradise Lounge in the late 80s and then Calle-11 is now on the market with a $5.995 price tag.

While “residential uses, large hotels, adult entertainment and heavy industrial uses are not [currently] permitted” on the 1501 Folsom Street site, most office, commercial and retail uses would be allowed. The corner parcel is technically zoned for development up to 55 feet in height. And it would appear as though Calle-11’s lease is set to expire in February of 2019.

And of course, plans for a big development across the street have been drawn. We’ll keep you posted and plugged-in.

17 thoughts on “Iconic Western SoMa Club Building on the Market for $6 Million”
  1. I still really miss the Paradise Lounge. I’m hoping that whatever happens at this site that it is compatible with the late night club and live music scene.

    1. Used to go to Paradise Lounge for the spoken word performances that were hosted by Jennie Joseph.

  2. Such a pity that Jane Kim made a change to the west soma plan that prevented residential opportunities along the 11th street corridor…

    1. It would have spelled death to the clubs on that street. All those professional, entitled whingers.

  3. One more thing, I’ve lived just blocks from this location for 20 years, and the demographic for the club scene has changed…the weekend no longer see’s the tons of kids heading to these clubs as was the case just a decade ago. Don’t believe me, head down that way some saturday night around midnight and you won’t find lines waiting to get in anymore…and the clubs are not jam packed.

    1. they’re online in virtual clubs or texting each other while sitting in the same room. we are doomed

    1. Because people would move in and start complaining about the noise, so just eliminate that whole b.s. headache.

      1. There were people living in SOMA before there were nightclubs. Somehow that historical fact has been revised over the years for the benefit of the Late Night Entertainment group and Terrance Allan. There has been residential since before the earthquake and fire, just check out the old Sandborn maps. It is the clubs that moved into residential areas and working people are the ones impacted by a land use that would never be permitted in the outer Richmond or Sunset.

        1. Of course preexisting residents should be accommodated, but why make the conflict worse by building more residential?

        2. History lesson aside, nobody living in the vicinity has been living there longer than the clubs that exist on 11th. Every single person that lives in the area now moved into the district while those clubs (or their predecessors) were operating.

  4. UPDATE: The asking price for 1501 Folsom Street has just been reduced to $5.2 million. And as we first reported above, Calle-11’s lease technically expires next month.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *