About Us
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A brief, incomplete and possibly somewhat inaccurate History of the SF Alano Club...
In the process of filing for our nonprofit status the planning committee discovered that the first Alano Club in San Francisco filed for their Articles of Incorporation with the State of California on December 18, 1946. We don’t have record of the location of the original club but it was somewhere on lower Nob Hill. In 1956 the Alano Club relocated to 414 Grant Street at the entrance to Chinatown. After a fire ravaged the building in 1981, the Club was forced to move. In 1982 the new Alano Club reopened its doors in a wonderful building in the heart of downtown at 525 Sutter near Powell, unfortunately, the beautiful new club came with a very expensive rent. With the inflated overhead, the membership was unable to keep the club afloat and once again the club had to move this time to 8th and Mission. The Club failed after a few months. The last San Francisco Alano Club closed its’ doors in the mid-1980s.
Located near the gates to Chinatown, the 414 Grant Alano Club had what many considered to be an ideal location. The Club was walking distance from the Tenderlion and an easy bus or Bart trip from most neighborhoods in the city. Members from the business community would frequent the noontime meetings, grab a fast lunch, and still get back to work at a reasonable time.
The centerpiece of the Club was the “Hospitality Table.” Here newcomers, old timers, and visitors would meet to discuss the finer points sobriety. The manager John S. would welcome anyone new to the Club, buy them a cup of coffee, and direct them to the Hospitality Table. Hospitality was the hallmark of the Club. Pat T. from Sonoma recalls that the restaurant at the Grant Street Alano Club was leased by a Tim and Poy and their families. Although they were not part of the fellowship they would often give a free meal to a hungry newcomer. The Grant Street Alano Club was the place to meet new friends, sponsors, (and sometimes lovers) who became part of a new life in the fellowship.
Si P. recalls that at noontime business people (euphemistically referred by many of us as the “suits”) would gather at a long row of tables in the center of the dining room. Conversations at this table were bound by one rule?if a topic was being discussed that related to someone’s profession (law, medicine, politics) they could not add, subtract or modify the speakers opinion in any way. For example if someone expressed an opinion, hearsay or fact about the law, whether it was true or not, no attorney could comment on it. If he tried, he was told to shut up! Apparently, adhering to this rule created quite a bit of fun.
Donna B. remembers the time a tough-looking drunk, up to his eyeballs in booze, tried to drive his Harley up the front stairs of the Club. Years later when she was picking up her thirty year chip at Tuesday Downtown at Grace Cathedral, who should be there getting his chip but Mr. Motorcycle Man. “That’s the wonder of A.A.” she said “You never know who’s going to get sober or stay sober!”
In addition to providing space for meetings, both the Grant Street and Sutter Street locations featured a host of “sober” activities?bingo on Friday nights, dances on Saturday evenings, live theatrical performances, and poetry readings. The Club was normally open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. five days a week and open later on the weekends. The Club also hosted recovery related events such as a Big Book Seminar or a lecture about the history of the 12 Steps.
In retrospect, the San Francisco Alano Club served an integral part of the community—offering those recovering from addiction to alcohol a safe and anonymous place to gather for meetings, fellowship and fun.
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