May 28 2002

Dear Friends:

With much national and local fanfare, the San Francisco LGBT Community Center complex unveiled its new facilities recently at 1800 Market Street. The past challenge, to save from demolition and to integrate the historic Fallon building into the Center's modernist scheme, is fading from our collective memory. We now move on to other activities and projects.

Our mission to maintain an active role in the evolving preservation movement in San Francisco and abroad continues. In addition, the organization's special interests in the preservation of sites important to the gay - lesbian - bisexual - transgender (GLBT) communities direct us to new, unexplored territory. Board member, Alan Martinez, works closely with the GLBT Historical Society of Northern California on the proposed international glbt Museum in the Tenderloin district, while others assess a contextual statement for the Castro-Noe Valley-Western Addition neighborhoods as a prelude to a future survey.

Although the primary focus on the Fallon Building's rehabilitation is behind us, we return to the Community Center as partners in collaboration with the SF Architectural Heritage. On October 25, 2002, our organization will sponsor a South-West themed evening on woman architect, Mary Colter. Gay writer and author of the newest book on Colter, Arnold Berke, will be our feature speaker. This event is our first activity at the Center, a reminder of our early grassroot preservation efforts in San Francisco. 

Your support and participation in the Friends of 1800 at this pivotal time in the organization's transition are truly appreciated. We look forward to new and provocative opportunities to engage the public in an awareness of our dynamic built environment.

Best wishes.

Gerry Takano
Friends of 1800