This story originally aired June of 2013. "I don’t need a hearse with six white horses, because I’m not ready for them."Ĭlick the audio player above to listen to David Boyer's original radio documentary, "Marlena's Curtain Call." She is still part owner of the building and will continue to live upstairs and work for her community. She took a trip to Alaska, and she’s gearing up to be a Grand Marshall of San Francisco’s Pride Parade this Sunday. In the meantime, Marlena herself has had a bit of down time. After a remodel, Brass Tacks may open early next month. One says he hopes the new bar will be a fun, safe place for people to come, drink, and make friends - and they’d like to keep the drag shows, and the fundraising, going. Two of them helped start and manage some of the city’s most popular cocktail lounges and restaurants. It’s got new owners - three straight men who’ve lived and worked in the neighborhood for more than a decade. The bar formerly known as Marlena’s will reopen with a new name: Brass Tacks. The neighborhood is, quite literally, higher rent. And, there are no fewer than a half-dozen, mostly high-end housing developments somewhere between breaking ground and nearing completion. One is now an open air market with pop-up food shops inside shipping containers and an outdoor beer garden. Little by little the lots have been developed. It also created acres and acres of empty lots in the middle of the city. It was replaced by a park and the tree-lined Octavia Boulevard. The double-decker freeway off-ramp from Highway 101 that split Hayes Valley was completely torn down in 2003. Marlena’s was at the center of a changing San Francisco. What was once a depressed, sometimes dangerous part of San Francisco became a burgeoning center of commerce, with the renamed Marlena’s Bar as an unofficial community center. Over time, local businesses, an active neighborhood association, and visionary city planning helped transform the area. Generously priced specials, a large and festive curbside parklet, and plenty of friendly regulars make this bar a guaranteed good time. 440 Bar (440 Castro St.) If you like your men big and fuzzy, then 440 Bar is where you'll want to stop for a drink. It was called “The Overpass” then, because the Central Freeway passed overhead and split Hayes Valley in two. During your next stay in San Francisco, be sure to visit some of these legendary gay bars. McClain bought into the bar after the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989. Marlena, also known as Garry McLain, is one part savvy businessman, and one part spotlight-loving showgirl.
The spot was around for a couple of decades, right in the heart of the up-and-coming Hayes Valley, which, these days, has up-and-come with trendy restaurants and boutique shops. It was a popular gay bar, featuring lip-synched drag shows, community fundraisers, and lots and lots of regulars. Marlena’s was a Hayes Valley gathering place that helped knit the city together through good cheer and glitzy drag numbers.