#WelcomeBack @hotelutah #๐๐ป๐๐ป๐๐ป ใปใปใป After a long pandemic hiatus, last week saw the return of legacy spot the Hotel Utah (500 Fourth Street) and its famous Utah Open Mic. The longest-running open mic night in California, it is a treasured tradition where musicians, comedians, poets and performers share a microphone for sets that are six minutes or less. The roster of performers who have stood on its creaky stage includes Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Guns N' Roses, and PJ Harvey. The Deininger family opened the saloon in 1908, and commissioned furniture makers in Belgium to design and create its ornate bar-back. They also had an exclusive agreement with Fredericksburg beer, brought to The Utah by horse and carriage and lowered into the cellar in wooden kegs. At the time, the residential hotel-over-saloon was a proven business model in the neighborhood, with a 1914 survey finding forty thousand single men living in what is now the South of Market (SOMA) area. The clientele primarily consisted of gamblers, thieves, hustlers, and other folks up to no good. Completion of the Bay Bridge in 1936 ushered in a new type of clientele from across the bay, including longshoremen, merchants, metal smiths, and furniture makers. In the 1950s, Hotel Utah Saloon bartender-turned-owner Al Opatz renamed the bar Alโs Transbay Tavern and would play host to clients from beat poets to gangsters, as well as celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio, and Bing Crosby. The bar was renamed the Hotel Utah Saloon yet again 1977, when the co-writer of the 1979 movie The Electric Horseman, Paul Gaer, took over the business and added a new stage for live acts. Repost @sfheritage #onlyinsf #classicsf (at San Francisco, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cay5Er2r_zl/?utm_medium=tumblr