From Immigrant Social Club to San Francisco Icon: The Remarkable 110-Year History of Club Fugazi
Walk down Green Street in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood and you’ll encounter a beautifully preserved building that has witnessed more than a century of the city’s evolution. Club Fugazi, constructed in 1913, stands as a testament to San Francisco’s immigrant spirit, cultural resilience, and enduring love of entertainment. From its origins as a social club for Italian immigrants to its decades as home to Beach Blanket Babylon—the world’s longest-running musical revue—to its current incarnation hosting the spectacular circus show Dear San Francisco, this historic venue embodies the very essence of the city it celebrates.
This is the story of how one building became synonymous with San Francisco itself.
1913: A Community Takes Root
In the early 20th century, North Beach was the heart of San Francisco’s Italian community. Thousands of immigrants from Italy had settled in the neighborhood, creating a vibrant enclave of bakeries, restaurants, social clubs, and family businesses. Among them was John F. Fugazi, a prominent Italian-American businessman and banker who saw the need for a gathering place where his community could celebrate their heritage while building new lives in America.
Fugazi commissioned the construction of Fugazi Hall at 678 Green Street. The building was designed as a multi-purpose community center with a large auditorium, meeting spaces, and facilities for social gatherings. It quickly became a cornerstone of Italian-American life in San Francisco—hosting weddings, celebrations, political meetings, cultural events, and theatrical performances.
The Fugazi Bank Connection
John F. Fugazi wasn’t just a community leader; he was a financial pioneer. He founded the Columbus Savings & Loan Society, which eventually became Transamerica Corporation—yes, that Transamerica, the company behind San Francisco’s iconic Transamerica Pyramid. The building you see today on Green Street is a direct link to one of the city’s most important business legacies.
Mid-20th Century: Jazz, Beats, and Bohemia
As North Beach evolved through the mid-20th century, so did Club Fugazi. The neighborhood became a hotbed of jazz clubs, beatnik coffeehouses, and counterculture. While Club Fugazi maintained its role as a community gathering space, it also reflected the artistic and rebellious spirit that made North Beach famous.
Just blocks away, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and other Beat Generation writers were holding court at Caffè Trieste and City Lights Bookstore. Jazz legends like Miles Davis and John Coltrane played nearby clubs. The air was thick with creative energy, and Club Fugazi stood right in the middle of it all.
Though the venue maintained its Italian-American roots, it became increasingly known for theatrical and musical performances. The seeds were being planted for what would become its most famous era.
1974: Beach Blanket Babylon Changes Everything
On June 7, 1974, something extraordinary began at Club Fugazi. A young performer and director named Steve Silver created a campy musical revue called Beach Blanket Babylon, originally conceived as a lighthearted show for a North Beach bar. The show moved to Club Fugazi, where it was supposed to run for a few weeks.
It ran for 45 years.
What Made Beach Blanket Babylon Iconic?
The Hats: Beach Blanket Babylon became world-famous for its outrageous hats and costumes. We’re not talking about normal-sized hats—these were architectural marvels weighing up to 35 pounds and towering several feet high. The Golden Gate Bridge hat, the San Francisco skyline hat, and countless others became iconic symbols of the show.
Topical Humor: Unlike traditional theater, Beach Blanket Babylon constantly updated its content to satirize current events, politicians, and pop culture. You could see the show ten times and never see exactly the same production. This kept locals coming back year after year—some saw it 20, 30, even 50 times.
Bipartisan Satire: The show poked fun at Democrats and Republicans equally, celebrities of all stripes, and San Francisco itself. Nothing was sacred, but nothing was mean-spirited. As former Mayor Willie Brown noted, “It was funny as all hell, but it wasn’t like Saturday Night Live. It was more like Johnny Carson’s monologue.”
Celebrity Endorsements: Over its 45-year run, Beach Blanket Babylon was attended by British royals, mayors Willie Brown and Ed Lee, David Bowie, countless celebrities, and millions of regular San Franciscans. The city even renamed the block “Beach Blanket Babylon Boulevard” in the show’s honor.
The Numbers:
• 17,000+ performances
• 6.5 million+ audience members
• Longest-running musical revue in theater history
• Two-thirds of the audience were locals, not tourists (contrary to popular belief)
Beach Blanket Babylon became as synonymous with San Francisco as the Golden Gate Bridge and cable cars. To visit San Francisco and not see Beach Blanket Babylon was considered by many to be an incomplete visit.
2019: The Final Curtain and a New Beginning
On December 31, 2019, Beach Blanket Babylon performed its final show.
But Club Fugazi wasn’t done yet.
The building needed a new chapter, and it found one in two women who knew it well: Shana Carroll and Gypsy Snider, both Bay Area natives and co-founders of The 7 Fingers, one of the world’s leading contemporary circus companies.
2021-Present: Dear San Francisco and The 7 Fingers
Shana Carroll and Gypsy Snider grew up in the Bay Area circus and theater community. Shana’s mother, Peggy Snider, was a co-founder of the Pickle Family Circus, one of the pioneering American contemporary circus companies of the 1970s and 80s. When Club Fugazi became available, the opportunity to return home and honor both the venue’s legacy and their own roots was irresistible.
“I can’t describe what it means to me to finally bring the work and form I love back to the home I love,” Shana said. “The San Francisco Bay Area is in my DNA.”
In 2021, Dear San Francisco premiered at Club Fugazi. The show is a 90-minute circus spectacular that tells the story of San Francisco through breathtaking acrobatics, aerial performances, and physical theater. Like Beach Blanket Babylon before it, Dear San Francisco is both a love letter to the city and a world-class entertainment experience.
What Makes Dear San Francisco Special:
• The 7 Fingers’ pedigree: With over 7 million people reached in 54 countries, The 7 Fingers brings world-class circus artistry to Club Fugazi.
• Intimate scale: Unlike large arena circus shows, Dear San Francisco keeps the 300-seat intimacy that makes Club Fugazi special.
• San Francisco storytelling: The show weaves the city’s booms and busts, resilience and reinvention, into its narrative.
• Continuing tradition: Like Beach Blanket Babylon, it’s a show designed for both locals and visitors, sophisticated yet accessible.
The Building Today: A Living Monument
When you visit Club Fugazi today, you’re stepping into a space that has been lovingly preserved while being modernized for contemporary circus. The building’s historic architecture remains intact, but now houses state-of-the-art rigging systems for aerial performances. The intimate auditorium, where generations of San Franciscans gathered, now provides the perfect venue for performers to soar overhead.
Walking through the doors at 678 Green Street means connecting with over a century of San Francisco history:
• The Italian immigrants who built a community here
• The Beat Generation artists who defined a cultural movement blocks away
• The 6.5 million people who laughed at Beach Blanket Babylon
• The new audiences discovering circus artistry through Dear San Francisco
Why This History Matters
Club Fugazi’s 110-year history mirrors San Francisco’s own story of reinvention, resilience, and cultural innovation. The building survived the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake, weathered economic depressions, adapted through cultural revolutions, and continues to evolve today.
More importantly, it has always been a place where San Franciscans gather to celebrate what makes this city special. Whether it was Italian immigrants finding community in 1913, audiences laughing at topical satire during Beach Blanket Babylon, or today’s crowds marveling at aerial acrobatics, Club Fugazi has always been about bringing people together through shared experience.
As co-producer David Dower said when reopening the venue: “To have the opportunity to reanimate a venue with such a rich history, at the very moment we are coming out from under this long, dense cloud, is a powerful and energizing privilege.”
Experience History at Club Fugazi
Today, when you attend Dear San Francisco at Club Fugazi, you’re not just seeing a show—you’re participating in a tradition that stretches back 110 years. You’re sitting in the same intimate space where generations of San Franciscans have gathered, laughed, gasped, and celebrated. You’re connecting with the spirit of innovation and artistry that has defined North Beach and San Francisco itself.
The building at 678 Green Street has witnessed everything San Francisco has been through over the past century. And if history is any guide, it will continue to evolve, surprise, and delight for many generations to come.
Come see where history and contemporary circus meet. Visit clubfugazisf.com to book your tickets and become part of Club Fugazi’s ongoing story.
