Tenderloin Museum

The Tenderloin Museum provides such a such a rich and fascinating history of San Francisco's Tenderloin District. The history is complex and nuanced. The museum doesn't glamorize and doesn't vilify. Your assumptions about the Tenderloin will be challenged after your visit to this museum.

What a spot. Yes, you have to walk through the Tenderloin to get here, but that’s the point. (The zero-star reviews for that reason are entirely unfounded…) The Tenderloin is a community (albeit, not always a safe nor comfortable one.) but you do feel that everyone knows one another while you’re walking through it. This museum gives context to how it became the neighbourhood it is today. I had no idea about the history of jazz here. The corruption shocked me (wait until you learn where the neighbourhood got its name from..) I left feeling like the neighbourhood has been burned by cops and city officials, time and time again. But I also left with an understanding of the community that lives there, and how much this area has actually been the only place to take in some from lower income communities. Go. It’s a vital lesson on the history of SF, and the history of poverty/depravation. I do think a nod to the opioid crisis and how it’s influenced the area would be an important addition to bring the history up to date. Thank you for an amazing visit.

Cute museum with an excellent story of this area and how significant and unique it is! Highly recommend!

Beautiful facility. Easy access. Highly informative and brimming with photos, posters, articles and video excursions. An abundant history of the Tenderloin and early San Franciscan culture. Activities includes relative community festivities, events and exhibits . Peacefully peruse or enjoy a curated tour. Non profit. Support welcomed.

Tenderloin is a wonderful place. TL museum is even more wonderful. The staff and the guide are all passionate about their work and are knowledgeable. Visit here any day of the week except Mondays to learn more about the history of TL, how it came to be. Fun fact: admissions are free for TL residents in Wednesdays.

The Tenderloin Museum hosts a diverse collection of photos, artifacts and information touching on many aspects of the vibrant and complex history of the Tenderloin. It's well worth a visit!

A small but great museum. Captures the history of Tenderloin. I attended two shows there which were performed on the building of Cadillac hotel. They were amazing! Instantly became onenof my favorite places.

Fantastic museum, highly recommend! I've lived in San Francisco my whole life and never knew any of this somehow.

I have a lot of feelings about this museum, having stayed in the Tenderloin in 1986. The punk band I was traveling with went onward to Japan for the rest of their tour, so I stayed behind before going back to NY state after a month or so. Oh my. What I remember from the 80s: tents full of AIDS patients at the Civic Center, protesting lack of services. I met an AIDS patient, which in those days was scary because there was little information on it. He looked so ill, with a withered face and sunken eyes, since the first medicines were very hard on the body. I had heard nothing about the disease in high school and had a vague idea that it was spread through the air like TB. The man was so kind and he explained everything about the disease to me, and what they were doing there. It was my first introduction to that good old SF protest energy. Grassroots organizing at its best and very effective. Next, I observed those blessed old hippies in action. They held free needle exchanges in a park in the Tloin, to try to stop the spread of HIV and hepatitis. SFPD arrested them, and more filled their place. They kept getting arrested and reappearing, over and over and over, until the city made these places legal. NYC was years behind on this, and as a consequence, many got sick here. The Tloin was a frightening place to a middle class teen like me with no life experience. I met a few kindly elders, and a group of kids called the Powell Street Punks, who were skins (only on the outside afaik, not racist skins). They would skateboard around the BART station entrance and regularly get rousted by the cops. One thing that still p***es me off was the fact that SFPD would regularly take our beer and pour it out or drink one. I used to vacation in SF every year until 2001, and remember passing through this area and seeing how it changed and how it stayed the same. Now that I'm back to regularly visiting, I can see the city evolving and de-evolving in front of my eyes, perhaps better than those who live here year round. I see a lot of ugliness here in the Tloin, but I also see kindness, which I chose to put at the forefront. I see that same quintessentially San Francisco helper energy, and that same grassroots organizing, protesting, and innovation. That will never change, even when the city changes. Goodness never dies out.

I'm very sorry to say that I was very underwhelmed by this museum. One room with some pictures and a few interpretive notes. I really was expecting more given what I'd heard. I totally understand that it is hard to run a small museum like this, rent is high (it is SF!), and without much space to work with I realize it's hard to do much. I guess I was expecting something akin to the Tenement Museum in New York with perhaps that would take one back in time and show how people really lived. I also understand that the Tenderloin Museum is not JUST a history museum and has a greater mission and advocacy to share the stories that are still unfolding there. Nonetheless, having last year visited an amazing historically living history museum at the Black Country in Birmingham, UK, well...I only wish there were more support for places like these via non-profits and government grants or subsidies. And frankly, to get there was heartbreaking as well as scary as F. I had to wade through blocks of people doing drugs (I assume fentynal) obliterated out of their minds. And that is what is insane about the Tenderloin. It never seems to get better. It is worse now than I have ever seen! (Thanks, Breed and co.) I'd say Good Luck Tenderloin, but what you really need is good policy. Maybe someday when people go to the Tenderloin Museum, they will go to a history museum that will give an account of what it was like with the horrors of addiction and poverty and violence but they will walk through a healthy city-scape of loved, creative, and vibrant (if slightly offbeat) residents. That being said, it is still a place of immigrants and artists, and glorious misfits . But they get lost among the addicts and (yes) criminals, at first look. Peace.

I lived in the Tenderloin from 1998-2001, and never really appreciated all of the history of this neighborhood. The museum is great! Some wonderful old photos and lots of good information.

I saw this museum on the Tenderloin District on Yelp, so I decided to take an adventure. I landed on Van Ness and walked from Van Ness to Leavenworth and Eddy. I was a bit lost on the way. I saw poop on the street that I wasn't sure was from dogs or animals. It was gross. But I found my way to the museum, which I realized I had noticed before. The museum is a mini-museum, and it doesn't have many artifacts. They had like a pinball machine. They have small plaques that have information on issues relating to life in the Tenderloin. Basically in the post-war mid-century, The Tenderloin was a busy place, but it was troubled. It had Navy sailors, prostitutes, and an underbelly. And it's been like that since. It had an LGBT community. It was a bit underground. It was a dark place and it hasn't completely recuperated. The museum discusses the SRO living conditions and that these people did not have money. It was a hard place to live. The museum had two ladies working. It was a nice space with a good layout and decoration. I paid $6 student discount ticket. I didn't go on tour. They had interesting books on sale that I took note of including a memoir by a prostitute. Today, we have Tinder and other apps, and this is a different age, but I think people could end up sharing their Tinder dating stories without being labeled prostitutes. The visit is quick and they could have more artifacts and objects. There is quite a bit of text and some old photos. The Tenderloin, whether you love it or hate it, is a real reality in SF with its own history. It's great that someone started this museum and it could work more outreach in the community. It's about 4 years old(pretty new). Not for kids perhaps unless they are into sociological topics.

The irony of opening a museum that celebrates the gritty history of Tenderloin is that you actually have to go to the Tenderloin to see it. The reality is that the neighborhood has served as an enclave for the city's disenfranchised, produced a rich history of social unrest, and adamantly refused the gentrification that has seeped into the surrounding areas. A contemporary museum would appear to be something of an anomaly in this often scarifying area that Herb Caen reflected upon when writing "Any city that doesn't have a Tenderloin isn't a city at all." (photo: http://bit.ly/2q0ViVf). It is an anomaly but one that doesn't feel any less important to visit. That is a truth that drove community activist Randy Shaw as the voice of the Uptown Tenderloin Historic District to open this museum on the corner of Eddy and Leavenworth (photo: http://bit.ly/2qUrBV2). As you enter, you see a butcher's cow and the vice-oriented explanation behind the name Tenderloin applied to the underbelly of many U.S. cities (photo: http://bit.ly/2qVrwBA). Admission is $10, and what you find mostly in one large room is a virtual scrapbook framed on the walls and laminated into the tables with vintage items showcased via photos, postcards, show programs, restaurant menus, and bar matchbooks (photo: http://bit.ly/2qLUiqM). Neighborhood celebrities are featured like fan dancing legend Sally Rand (photo: http://bit.ly/2ptM3vN), bordello madam-turned-Sausalito mayor Sally Stanford (photo: http://bit.ly/2pf81Xf), and an impossibly young supervisor named Dianne Feinstein. There are intriguing interactive features such as then-and-now pictorial comparisons (photo: http://bit.ly/2ptk27O) and historical video of key events like the 1966 riot at Compton's Cafeteria incited by the arrest of a drag queen, predating Stonewall by three years. You can listen to a story about the neighborhood on one of the rotary phones, or leave a remembrance by using the manual typewriter (photo: http://bit.ly/2pYPsWx). Famed authors are spotlighted like William Saroyan and Dashiell Hammett, who wrote "The Maltese Falcon" here (photo: http://bit.ly/2ptNryz). The Tenderloin's reputation as a jazz center is well covered as is the influx of Vietnamese immigrants that created Little Saigon. At the end of my visit, I participated in the memory wall when I thought about why I visit the Tenderloin so frequently still. That's my food-related memory on the right (photo: http://bit.ly/2qUvfOO). If you prefer the knowledge of a guide and the safety of a walking tour in the immediate area, you can pay the extra $5 for that privilege. Well worth a visit to appreciate an unjustly maligned part of the city.

I checked out the new museum on Sunday 7/26/15 since I had time. It's close to Civic Center Bart. I walked up Leavensworth and it's on the corner of Eddy & Leavensworth. Museum price is $10; if you want museum & walking tour it's $15. I did the $15 museum & walking tour on Sun 2pm. Phone isn't working, so had to go in to find out about time for walking tour. Photos allowed. Museum is in one big room, lots of things to read, there's some videos, and listening stations to hear music. There is one pinball machine that works for FREE, but no paddles on the sides, you just shake the whole machine on it's side if you can. I couldn't stop the ball from going in the middle. Walking tour was just ok for me, I guess more history of different places would be good. Small area in the main lobby where you can buy t-shirts, book, mug, & postcards. Separate bathrooms available and drinking fountains. Hrs: Closed Mondays Tues-Sun 10-5

I visited with my family today. Not only is the museum itself highly interesting and well curated, but Alex Spoto, the Program Director, went above and beyond in our neighborhood walking your. If you're looking to better understand one of San Francisco's most famous neighborhoods, this museum is a great find.

The history of the Tenderloin is storied and varied a safe haven for societies forgotten people and outcasts over the last 6-7 decades, it is a community cared for by its own members. Seen from the street it may look edgy and worn. But it really is a caring community of residents, non-profits and community organizations that have long advocated for equality and fair treatment. I was lucky to tour the museum, do a night tour, see the hidden gems, and understand the challenges people here are faced with. Worth a visit, take the tours. Get to know the densest community in SF, with the most children, and arguably the most character. My guide, Gail, and co guide Felicia are knowledgeable and great community advocates.

What a wonderful experience it was to visit the Tenderloin Museum. The museum does an amazing job of highlighting the importance and historical impact the Tenderloin not only had in San Francisco but the LGBT+ community as well. The museum being located on the tenderloin gives you a chance to walk out of the street and take the information provided and whiteness it first hand, truly amazing. The museum speaks for itself, and I highly recommend it. Additionally, the staff here is stupendous! I cannot recall her name (Caucasian, Mid aged, curvy, blonde woman) was amazing and went above and beyond the call of duty in helping myself find additional historic gay places in the vicinity. She advised Compton's Cafeteria, the precursor to the Stone Wall Riots which was conveniently located down the street.

2.5 Stars Really wanted to like this place but the event I went to tonight was pretty underwhelming. Attended for a mural tour and documentary short screening. It was my first time at the museum. I had been meaning to visit since I live in the neighborhood but it was pretty disappointing. First of all "museum" is a pretty generous term. The main room is lined with pretty cool photos and explanations of the history of the neighborhood. They had set it up for the documentary screening when I arrived so the main floor was chairs and a screen. Not sure what's there typically but hopefully art/objects to fill the space. It feels more like a community center and event space which would be a much better way to characterize the space and maybe even make it seem more accessible for the community. As I was waiting for the tour to start, I walked around a bit and read some of the descriptions. Everything was super interesting though I would have liked to see more black and brown faces represented. The event started around 630 (15 min late) and I left early (at 839). There wasn't food provided so I mostly left because I was hungry but I also just wasn't feeling the event/space. The walking tour itself was rushed (45 min) and didn't cover many of my favorite murals in the 'loin (along polk street). We also would stand across the street for many of them so couldn't really get up close to see the detail. We did get up close to the featured mural which they showed a documentary of later on. I would recommend that they start at 530 next time and have it be an hour and a half. Someone who is a bit more knowledgable running the tour would be helpful too. I've been on a lot of city walking tours and street art tours and this was by far the worst in terms of information, art covered, route, and presentation by the guide. **I was the only black person on the walking tour...actually, except for the guy working the door/security, I was the only black person in the TENDERLOIN museum during the event! Super problematic for obvious reasons ...** The documentary was the best part of the event and it was cool to have both the filmmaker and the muralist there. The documentary actually captured the diversity of the TL--unlike the homogeneity of the museum staff and participants in the tour. I REALLY hope other events have people from the neighborhood represented. The gift shop is the entire first room/foyer reception. The t-shirts with street names and the tote with TL quote would make great gifts. I was surprised that the gift shop was pretty reasonably priced. I would return and get a "Hyde" or "Ellis" shirt. Didn't get too many photos of the art on the tour but the sunset was spectacular! I was considering joining as a member because I live a few blocks away but tonight's event pretty much squashed that idea. Hope to support future events showcasing the diversity of the neighborhood and see this place blossom into a place that's more welcoming and "of" the nabe.

The museum itself is rather small. I would recommend expecting to spend 30 minutes or so in the main room. The exhibit was interesting and I learned a lot about the TL's history. The tenderloin is a vibrant district in San Francisco with a storied history in both gay/queer/trans movements and tenants rights movements which continue to this day in the city. The TL also serves as SF's center of vice: brothels, gambling & dance halls, illicit theaters, jazz bars, and the like have all inhabited the TL and some continue to do so to this day. The museum needs more interactive exhibits. It's a really interesting subject, but reading a lot of placards and photos makes it hard to take it all in. A little ingenuity for the exhibit could go a long way towards making it a must-see museum in SF.

During the COVID-19 crisis, the Tenderloin Museum has partnered with San Francisco Neon to offer virtual tours on Zoom. I attended their TenderNob Neon Tour. The tour is highly polished and well-crafted. It's no wonder that the San Francisco Examiner just gave them a great write-up. Immediately, I emailed a good friend and told her to attend their upcoming virtual tours. It's evident that the SF Neon tour guides are passionate about neon and want to share their interest with you. I sincerely hope to attend all of their upcoming virtual tours and to attend in-person one day when I'm in San Fran. I'm really glad I found SF Neon on Eventbrite. If this sounds like your bag, don't miss out!!

Great tour! Our tour guide was very informative and funny. I wish I could've remembered her name, but she had a British accent. The exhibit inside was extremely informative and also provided great context for the rest of the tour. I was impressed to learn that the Compton Cafeteria riots had occurred 3 years before Stonewall. I was pleasantly surprised to see that there used to be Musicians' and Waitress' Unions. The importance of the Times was definitely highlighted. I didn't know the Tenderloin was so diverse. I also learned about SROs. The tour guide did a good job of emphasizing the community's sense of being a cohesive neighborhood. The only negative was some asshole other tour participant who kept interrupting the tour guide and trying to sell other tours or something. I think in the future the museum should highlight a code of conduct so that disruptive guests don't ruin the experience for everyone else. It definitely wasn't anyone's fault, especially not the tour guide's - we got extremely unlucky.

Really problematic space that's taking advantage of the neighborhood's history. The museum is very small, more aptly described as a small gallery than a museum. The larger issue though is that at every single event I have ever seen hosted here, the attendees have been almost exclusively white and in business attire. The museum may have noble causes, but focuses the neighborhood into a sideshow freak rather than focusing on either real issues facing the neighborhood today or the local culture.

Great little museum. Learned a lot about the neighborhood. Definitely recommend. Had the place to myself on a Saturday so felt like a peaceful escape from the city. Also had a very clean restroom.

We did the tenderloin tour with the museum. It was awesome ! I would recommend anyone who live or arrive in San Francisco to do the tour. The guide was really nice and told us so many story about buildings, the population etc. I learned that the Cadillac hotel was the first hotel to authorize black people to stay in the city ! We also visited the St Anthony's foundation where they served 3,000 meals everyday. A really great experience. The tenderloin is a very vibrant district and so interesting !

Getting to the Tenderloin Museum is going to be something folks will talk about back home---whether they hike up the three blocks from Market, or down from Geary---it's a colorful stroll. Lots of Local Color. And the museum offers tours twice daily, if you actually want to meet some of that color. The museum itself is smallish, and most of what it has on display is on the walls, in chronological and counterclockwise order, beginning with the aftermath of the great 1906 quake and fire that led to the creation of the district as we know it. Photos are in some cases supplemented with video displays, but the floor is mostly empty (check out the ceiling though!) and the place is remarkably light on artifacts. Aren't there any old signs or other vestiges of the area's history? Anywhere? San Francisco has changed a lot, it's a lot cleaner than it was, when it comes to vice. Just one Herb Caen quote shows how widespread gambling was. And yet, given our liberal image, the leadership comes across as stodgy at best, damn well draconian at worst---like a bunch of New England prudes at times. Men and women are dancing! Together! Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh my! I'd recommend checking out "Screaming Queens" on YouTube as it will flesh out the transsexual part of the display, and add some very good visuals to Compton's Cafeteria, where they fought back against the police, before Stonewall did it more famously. I'd also recommend the website Up From The Deep, which has a photo history of the district---every building! What comes across though is how vibrant the area once was. Today so much of the Tenderloin is boarded up, walled off, stuccoed over, with murals standing in for Life on windows no longer open for business. Much of this can be blamed on charities like Oshun, which occupies the former Compton's Space, turning a once vibrant corner into a dead zone. The TL needs these store fronts to be returned to commercial use so the district can have a chance at reviving. Ultimately, one wonders if $10 admission is going to fly. Kids, seniors, the disabled get in for $6, so a family of four would be $32. the cost of one ticket to the Exploratorium, but the Exploratorium also offers much more punch for the buck. On the other hand, after making that hike, a lot of people will probably fork over the money just to get inside, away from all that lurks on the streets! I'd recommend it though. While there's plenty of room to grow, what exists now is certainly informative.

Very interesting material about the history of the Tenderloin with exhibits about porn, burlesque. LGBTQ rights, and other fascinating photos and facts about the area. Definitely worth a look.

The Tenderloin Museum, in its current state, amounts to a great start. The museum comprises two rooms, one of which is a gift shop (I might go back and pick up a Tenderloin poster), but the proprietors seem self-aware, a fact made clear by the giant wall dedicated to museum-goer suggestions for how to improve the experience. One commenter had some sound recommendations, one of which was to make the space more three-dimensional by integrating more audiovisual elements---my guess is that cost is a major impediment to this improvement at this state. Another commenter complained that the price of admission ($10 for adults, $6 for students) is too high for most Tenderloin residents to visit. I'd propose a Tenderloin resident rate of $5. That said, the museum does a good job of telling a compelling story about this historic neighborhood. The context of the modern Tenderloin makes more sense after visiting this place, and I am hopeful that the exhibit will continue to grow and expand. I will definitely be taking friends visiting the city to this unique place.

I've seen most of the Yelp reviews about this location and have passed by a few times, so I finally took some time to check out the Tenderloin Museum. It's another of the small ones in San Francisco, and I think $10.00 for this size was pretty steep. Not really a whole lot to see overall; the reception desk and gift shop along with the one large gallery detailing the history of the Tenderloin District and some photographs along with artifacts about those times. Plus, it's also in a neighborhood that can be creepy at times with mostly homeless people and drug addicts hanging out even right outside the museum entrance.

Great museum! Plenty to read and learn about Old San Francisco. Nice retail products as well. The staff is very friendly and I look forward to a walking tour next time. There are videos to watch and listening stations.

I love that someone has taken an interest in telling the fascinating story of the Tenderloin. Such a rich past and huge part of San Francisco history. Been to several programs - always comfortable and informative. Thanks, Randy Shaw

The Tenderloin Museum is a wonderful addition to this dynamic neighborhood. It's somewhat like an indoor 'plaza' with the draw of people mingling for a variety of reasons. The various venues, political, educational Or simply entertaining are reason enough to go. I love the old photography showing the evolution of the neighborhood, the art, supporting local artists and the neighborhood tours. It's a great, well designed and intended center for our amazing Tenderloin neighborhood.

Beautifully laid out and very informative exhibits. Great space- good place to hold lectures, readings, etc.

Love this place! It really highlights the liveliness and the importance of the TL in SF'S progressivism. Who knew the TL had such a wonderful history? I especially loved the exhibits of music, feminism, and the LBGQ movement. So great to see dedicated folks trying to change the opinion of the TL. I'd highly recommend a visit if you're a bay area native.

I came here today for the walking tour and ended up staying to view the museum. It's a very new neighborhood history museum, so it's small and you can tell they are still building a collection. The exhibit space is designed to highlight the different eras of the Tenderloin and the social issues that have shaped it. They do programming at least once a week, which shows that they are really focused on bringing people to the neighborhood and helping them understand the human stories there. The tour was informative and since I was the only one on it this afternoon, I asked a lot of questions and we had a great chat about the fight for fair housing.

As far as museums go thus one is far from the best. I like history museums but this was underwhelming and a quarter if the place is the gift $hop. The Tenderloin Museum tells the story of the good, the bad and the ugly of the neighborhood without much proof. It's a very digital experience fir a really non digital area. There should be a map of all the sights and places that are talked about so the interested can go check them out in person, maybe provide a walking map of the places if interest that are or even no longer there. Lastly the space seems so sterile in contrast to the moment you step back onto Leavenworth street and are hit with that piss and sh*t aroma and offered some snack by the savvy dealers who want to give visitors s more authentic experience if the TL.

The tour was wonderful. Our guide explained the city zoning that makes the neighborhood, 31 blocks, what it is, a place where SROs (single room occupancy units) have preference over other development, ensuring a place where low income people can live in the city. Half of these hotels are privately owned, and half are non-profit. One can see a great deal of work taking place on the street by the city and locals to keep-up the neighborhood. It is inspiring. One can also see some drunken street parties (because if you live in a single room, you don't have a living room). You also learn about the history of the area, a part of greater SF history.

The SF Tenderloin Museum is well worth visiting. There are many fascinating photos and materials about the history of the area and its current transformation, including support services for the homeless and struggling young immigrant families. The staff is very friendly and will answer questions in depth. Also worthwhile is the Tenderloin tour offered by the museum. The 1-hr tour and museum admission together is only $15 ($5 discount). Our guide gave us an in-depth tour and pointed out many famous buildings (e.g. Glide Memorial Church, film and recording studios, public garages, etc, etc.of the past) and various agencies currently offering support for the homeless as well as low-income residents. Highly recommended!

Went in with a friend just out of pure curiosity and left satisfied!

I went here to watch a documentary on homelessness in the Tenderloin. I was impressed that the place had only been open a few months. They had free hors d'oeuvres, which were ample in portion and variety. The documentary screening took place in their main room (the museum proper) and was rather good. I highly recommend folks check out this particular film, and I'll be going back this week for their screening of "Drugs in the Tenderloin".