The Tin Angel was a lesbian nightclub, live music venue, and restaurant in operation from 1953 to 1961, on the Embarcadero at 981 Embarcadero (near Pier 23) in San Francisco, California, U.S.[1] The venue and its founder were credited as "spearheading the 'Jazz on the Waterfront' movement" in the 1950s.[2] In 1958, the club ownership changed and it was renamed On-The-Levee, before its closure in July 1961.
| Tin Angel On-The-Levee | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Previous owner(s) | Peggy Tolk–Watkins (1953 to 1958), Kid Ory (1958 to 1961) |
| Street address | 981 Embarcadero, San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 37°48′11″N 122°24′06″W / 37.803175°N 122.401589°W |
| Active dates | 1953–July 1961 |
History
It was owned and managed by self-taught painter Peggy Tolk–Watkins, who worked in partnership with bordello owner and former Sausalito mayor, Sally Stanford.[3] Tolk–Watkins had previously opened a similar venue also named Tin Angel at 588 Bridgeway Boulevard in Sausalito, California from 1948 to July 1951.[1][4][5][6][7] Tolk–Watkins was referred to as "queen of the dykes",[8] and Tin Angel was considered a lesbian nightclub.[9]
Folk singer Odetta got her start performing at the Tin Angel in San Francisco.[1][10] A short while later Odetta joined the duo of Odetta and Larry and they performed at the Tin Angel for about 8 months. The Odetta and Larry duo released a self-titled album on Fantasy Records, recorded in 1953 and 1954 at the Tin Angel.[11] Other performers at Tin Angel included Bob Scobey, Turk Murphy, Kid Ory, Muggsy Spanier, George Lewis, Bob Mielke, Claire Austin, and Lizzie Miles with Wally Rose.[12]
The album cover for Turk Murphy's When The Saints Go Marching In (1954) features an image of the interior of the club.[12]
In total, a collection of San Francisco LGBT venues opened and flourished in the early 1950s, including the Tin Angel, Paper Doll Club, The Beige Room, Tommy's Place/12 Adler Place, Miss Smith’s Tea Room, Dolan's, and Gordon's.[3] In 1954, Tolk–Watkins opened another venue in San Francisco named, The Fallen Angel at 1144 Pine Street, the building was formerly the Sally Stanford bordello.[4][13] In June 1958, Tolk–Watkins sold the Tin Angel club to Kid Ory, and it was renamed On-The-Levee.[12][14] The bar closed in July 1961, and was demolished in 1962 because of the creation of the Embarcadero Freeway.[12]
It was featured in the Kim Anno art exhibition "Lost and Found: A Museum of Lesbian Memory, Part 1" (2000) shown at "The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Historical Society of Northern California," and at the San Francisco Public Library.[15]
