The Lexington Club

The Lexington Club
The Lexington Club during the day
Restaurant information
Slogan "Your friendly neighborhood dyke bar", "Every night is ladies' night", "Always a party, never a cover".
Established 1997 (1997)
Closed 2015 (2015)
Current owner(s) Lila Thirkield
Street address 3464 19th Street
City San Francisco
State California
Postal code/ZIP 94110
Country United States
Website lexingtonclub.com

The Lexington Club, often referred to as The Lex, was a dive bar, primarily catered towards queer women, in the Mission District in the American city of San Francisco, California. It was recognized as one of the central landmarks for LGBTQ culture, especially for lesbians and queer women, in San Francisco. The club was founded in 1997 and closed at the end of April 2015.

History

The Lexington Club was opened in 1997 by Lila Thirkield on the site of Mexican bar Sunset[1] as a response to the numerous options for gay men but lack of options for lesbians and other queer women in San Francisco.[2] She noticed that 16th and Mission had a "significant dyke presence" there and decided that it would make a good spot for her lesbian-owned business.[3] Other such businesses and services in the area catering to queer women included The Women's Building, the Osento bathhouse, Old Wives Tales bookstore, and Amelia's bar, which had closed in 1991. [4]

In October 2014, Thirkield announced that she would sell the Lexington Club and close the establishment in 2015.[5] Thirkield cited rising rent and the changing neighborhood as factors behind her decision to sell,[6] specifically that changes to the surrounding neighborhood made the business unsustainable.[7] She is a co-owner of another bar in the Mission, Virgil's Sea Room.[8] In February 2015, she announced that the Lexington Club would close at the end of April, and that she sold the bar to the PlumpJack Group, which planned to open a new "concept" there.[9]

Closing and response

The bar closed on April 30, 2015,[10] the last remaining lesbian bar in San Francisco.[7][11] Community members initiated a fundraiser for a commemorative plaque.[10][12]

The Lexington Club Archival Project was started by two filmmakers, Susie Smith and Lauren Tabak, in early 2015.[13] The project's mission is stated on their website as: "dedicated to documenting the stories, sounds and images from San Francisco's last full-time lesbian bar, which closed April 30th 2015."[14] The San Francisco International Film Festival screened a short version of the project's work-in-progress documentary film Never a Cover on April 30, 2015.[15] As of September 2015, the project was continuing work on the feature-length documentary and had raised $20,656 in a Kickstarter project.[16]

Culture

At night, with neon sign.

Michelle Tea's book Valencia (ISBN 9781580050357), which takes place in the Mission District of San Francisco, mentions the Lexington Club. This book has been adapted into a film. Other movies that have featured or been set in the Lexington Club include Ashley 22, How to Pick Up Girls, By Hook or By Crook, The Wild Search, Mechanic's Daydream, Getting Off, and Lit.[17]

References

  1. ↑ Tea, Michelle. "Gay (And Not So Gay) Moments in San Francisco History". The Bold Italic. The Bold Italic. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  2. ↑ B., Marke. "Hot Lex". SF Bay Guardian. SF Bay Guardian. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  3. ↑ "Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Advisory Committee Minutes of the January 20, 2009 Meeting" (PDF). Human Rights Commission, City of San Francisco. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  4. ↑ Scott, Damon. "Final Draft Historic Context Statement" (PDF). Friends of 1800.
  5. ↑ Thirkield, Lila. "Facebook post". Facebook. Lila Thirkield.
  6. ↑ B., Marke. "Why SF's iconic dyke bar, the Lexington Club, is closing". 48 hills. 48 hills. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  7. 1 2 "The Lexington Club is Closing Because the Mission Has "Dramatically Changed"". Retrieved 2015-09-26.
  8. ↑ Barmann, Jay. "A New Bar With Hard French Roots, Virgil's Sea Room, Coming To the Mission". SFist. Gothamist. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  9. ↑ Lucchesi, Paolo (February 24, 2015). "Lexington Club announces a closure date in April; PlumpJack Group moving in". Inside Scoop SF. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  10. 1 2 Pershan, Caleb (April 23, 2015). "Lexington Club Bids Farewell This Weekend, Crowdfunds Commemorative Plaque". SFist. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Lesbian bars are nearly extinct and this is their eulogy". Retrieved 2015-09-26.
  12. ↑ Freedman, Rana. "Lexington Club Commemorative Plaque". GoFundMe. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Two filmmakers work to preserve Lexington Club's history". Retrieved 2015-09-26.
  14. ↑ "ABOUT". Lexington Club Archival Project. Retrieved 2015-09-26.
  15. ↑ "Goodbye Lexington! Long live the Lexington!". Retrieved 2015-09-26.
  16. ↑ "The Lexington Club Archival Project". Kickstarter. Retrieved 2015-09-26.
  17. ↑ "Shot For Shot: The Lexington Club on Film". Roxie Theater. Retrieved 8 March 2015.

External links

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