Preserving the Past

A Glimpse Inside the Tenderloin Museum

One could walk past Leavenworth and Eddy without realizing the cultural significance of what’s above them. It’s a building that resembles many others in the compact Tenderloin district. 

It’s the Cadillac Hotel and boasts being the first Single Room Occupancy (SRO) residence on the west coast.

Directly below, the Tenderloin Museum prides itself on preserving the rich history of the neighborhood. It provides history dating back to 1906. 

Negative publicly has deterred tourist activity, but there is a certain charm associated with the Tenderloin that exists nowhere else. It is a far-cry from the modern glass-paneled skyscrapers in South Beach, but perhaps that is what makes it so special. 

Memorabilia and newspaper clippings from the past adorn the walls of the museum. Tour guide Lavarious Gardineo articulately describes the significance of each item. He then points toward an image of a cow. 

“That’s kinda how the Tenderloin got its name, where it’s like, cops here would take bribes. And they’d be able to buy the most expensive meat… which is the tenderloin,” explains Lavarious. 

“And a couple of the hotels here have, like, a little plaque on them that says they’re historically protected. So basically, they can’t take them down… at least for now.”

The museum also hosts a number of events throughout the year. The museum’s third annual community celebration is in June to commemorate its anniversary. 

A book detailing the Tenderloin’s history rests upright beside the cash register. It is written by Randy Shaw, the museum’s founder. 

“He’s kinda the founder, and he’s still around. He still does a lot of community outreach and stuff like that. Oh, and Cecil Williams, he’s the guy who helped create [Glide Memorial]. He’s kinda like a neighborhood hero… a hometown hero, if you will. Then there’s Del Seymour. He helped create a program called Code Tenderloin, which is designed to help people, like people that are down on their luck to get jobs at, like, Google and Twitter and places like that,” adds Lavarious.

“He’s kinda considered to be the mayor of the Tenderloin. He actually helped me to get this job here… ‘cause I’ve been here since we opened, like, July… almost three years.” 

(Photos by Anthony Sutherlin)