| The Tool Box | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Gay bar, Leather bar |
| Address | 399 Forth Street, San Francisco |
| Coordinates | 37°46′53″N 122°23′59″W / 37.781436119558954°N 122.39965457808451°W |
| Opened | 1962 |
| Closed | 1971 |
| Owner | Bill Ruquy |
The Tool Box was a leather bar for gay men in San Francisco that operated from 1962 to 1971 on the east corner of 4th Street and Harrison Street.[1] It was the first leather bar in the South of Market,[2] and a meeting spot where influential personalities of the early San Francisco leather scene gathered. After a prominent feature in Life magazine in 1964, it was considered the archetypal leather bar, helping to cement San Francisco's reputation as the "gay capital" of the US. The bar's history was short-lived: from 1965 onwards, the epicenter of the leather scene shifted towards Folsom Street (most notably Febe's bar), which ultimately led to its closing in 1971.[3] The Tool Box is commemorated at the San Francisco South of Market Leather History Alley.
The patronage of the Tool Box included influential personalities of the early San Francisco leather scene, among others artist Bill Tellman, Jack H. (owner of the Detour and the Slot, co-owner of Febe's), artist Mike Caffee (creator of the logo and a statue for Febe's),[3] as well as the Satyrs Motorcycle Club (oldest gay motorcycle club in the US) from Los Angeles.[2] The artist Chuck Arnett also worked as a bartender at the Tool Box.
- ^ Rubin, Gayle (2005). "Sites, settlements, and urban sex: archaeology and the study of gay leathermen in San Francisco, 1955-1995". In Schmidt, Robert A.; Voss, Barbara L. (eds.). Archaeologies of Sexuality. Routledge. pp. 62–88.
- ^ a b "16 — Pride is a Protest". prideisaprotest.com. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ a b "Folsom Street: The Miracle Mile - FoundSF". www.foundsf.org. Retrieved June 9, 2024.