With its new landmark status, the Eagle will also become a memorial to at least 22 of its employees who died during the AIDS epidemic. The Leather and LGBTQ Cultural District was formed in 2019 and spans the area of SoMa from Howard to Harrison streets and Division to Seventh streets. The two other bars that have been given landmark status are the Castro District’s Twin Peaks Tavern and North Beach’s former Paper Doll bar site. His district includes SoMa.Īs of now, the Eagle will be the first LGBTQ landmark in SoMa and the seventh LGBTQ historic site in San Francisco. “The SF Eagle bar is a cornerstone of the Leather and LGBTQ cultural district, an important historical asset, a cultural institution, and a community anchor that deserves all of the protections and privileges that the city can provide,” Supervisor Matt Haney said at the board’s Tuesday meeting. Another notable leather bar, the Stud, which was just four blocks away from the Eagle, permanently closed in May of 2020. The bar opened in February 1981 at a time when that corner of SoMa was dotted with leather bars, of which only four - including the Eagle - now remain.
