Known as the TL or The ‘Loin to locals, the Tenderloin neighborhood in San Francisco offers huge street murals, cheap eats, and pre-war apartment buildings that often share walls with hip bars and five-star restaurants. From its historic buildings that harken back to its vivid past to its innovative new developments, the history of San Francisco’s Tenderloin District is a colorful blend of ambition, sin, and vision.

1. History of the Tenderloin
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2. Known as the TL or The ‘Loin to locals, the
Tenderloin neighborhood in San Francisco offers
huge street murals, cheap eats, and pre-war
apartment buildings that often share walls with
hip bars and five-star restaurants.
From its historic buildings that harken back to its
vivid past to its innovative new developments, the
history of San Francisco’s Tenderloin District is a
colorful blend of ambition, sin, and vision.
The Tenderloin is located on a 50-square block
wedge on the southern slope of Nob Hill, between
the Union Square shopping district to the
northeast, and the Civic Center to the southwest.

3. The Tenderloin initially emerged as a respectable residential
neighborhood as an influx of upwardly mobile people settled in San
Francisco after the California Gold Rush. In the late 19th-century, the
neighborhood was known for its vibrant nightlife of theater, opera, fine
dining and upscale brothels.
However, that incarnation of the Tenderloin was almost entirely
destroyed in the great earthquake and fires of 1906, thanks to the high
concentration of wooden buildings. One of the few surviving
structures, the Hibernia Bank Building, still stands at the corner of
McAllister and Market Streets.
Instead of abandoning the area, the neighborhood immediately rebuilt
with hotels and apartment buildings–many completed by the following
year. A number of those hotels and apartments still exist today.
Beginning and Beginning Again

4. Roaring 20’s, Booze, and Graft
In the early half of the 20th-century, the Tenderloin developed a
reputation as a center of excitement, thanks in no small part to an
abundance of vice. During Prohibition in the 1920’s, the
neighborhood sprouted various halls for gambling and billiards, as
well as illegal speakeasies. Though these establishments were mostly
avoided by the average citizen, they drew in a diverse collection of
the well-to-do, thrill-seekers, and opportunistic bootleggers.

5. Noir and the Arts
It was most likely the Tenderloin’s ‘bohemian’
attitude that lent itself to attracting great artists,
writers, and musicians to the district. Famous
detective writer Dashiell Hammett, for one, made
the Tenderloin his stomping ground.
His fictional detective character Sam Spade was
given Hammett’s real-life apartment address at
891 Post Street. In fact, the Noir classic The
Maltese Falcon takes place almost entirely in the
mysterious world of the Tenderloin.
The Tenderloin was also a hot spot for musicians
and nightlife in its many bars and clubs. It was
also the location of the Musician’s Union Building
on Jones Street. The Black Hawk club at Hyde and
Turk Streets brought in Jazz greats such as Dave
Brubeck, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, and many
others.

6. The New Settlers
The Tenderloin encompasses what is officially known as San
Francisco’s “Little Saigon” on Larkin Street between Eddy and
O’Farrell, where a concentration of Vietnamese Americans live
and do business. .
Many Southeast Asians relocated to the area after the Vietnam
War in the early 70’s. At the time, the neighborhood had a high
vacancy rate and cheap rent made it a good place for the new
settlers to build community and start their new lives.
Throughout its history, the Tenderloin has been called home by
a great many people, not only immigrants. The LGBTQ
community, for example, has been a staple of the
neighborhood for decades. Long before the Castro was San
Francisco’s most prominent gay neighborhood, the Tenderloin
was where the LGBTQ made a flourishing community for
themselves, and they continue to help shape San Francisco as a
city.

7. Bring in the New
In recent years, efforts have been made to
bring new resources into the Tenderloin with
an eye on making the neighborhood safer and
bringing new life to some of the more run-
down areas.
Developers have stepped in to fill rows of
vacant buildings and storefronts with housing,
retail, bars, and restaurants. Investors along
with neighborhood groups have undertaken
large urban renewal projects such as fixing up
playgrounds, beautifying parks, and
designating historic areas.
The history of the Tenderloin is a complex and
bold story that should be told. And in 2015, the
Tenderloin Museum opened with a focus on
preserving the history of this diverse and
unique neighborhood.

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