Mission Mission

As conversation continues about the future of The Elbo Room, NBC built a fake version for their family drama, Parenthood, which takes place in Berkeley. Emily Savage spotted the exterior, which utilizes the font, but not the layout.

Guys, they made a fake Elbo Room in LA for the Parenthood set.

A photo posted by @tofuandwhiskey on Oct 10, 2014 at 1:18pm PDT

Back in reality, Matt Shapiro, co-owner of the club, explains their current situation on their Facebook page:

OK…the blogs are about to roll out the latest “news”…some with more hyperbole than others…
Here is what is really happening:
We are aware of the building owners plans to build condos on this property…Whether they get approval from the city and how long it will take is really anyone’s guess. The one thing that is definite is our lease goes for another year – Matt Shapiro, Elbo Room co-owner.

First, Hoodline has the renderings of the condos that will replace Flax Art & Design. After years of their wooden guy trying to take down Travelodge, they finally lost the battle. The new condos will pay homage to San Francisco’s rich architectural history and – oh wait, it’s just another big boxy building.

[via Hoodline]

Next, Uptown Almanac reports that after thirteen years, Therapy’s furniture store on Valencia will close at the end of this month. The landlord increased their rent from $5,700 to $10,500, so, make of that what you will. It’s hard to remain shocked at this point.

[UPDATE: Image by Google Streetview inserted to clarify that the furniture store, on the left, is closing, while the clothing store is remaining open]

From UA:

In conversation, Whelan mentioned that he was never late on rent, and that there is simply “more demand for [Valencia Street] than there is Valencia.” Whelan believes that with the average “consumer on Valencia Street [being] a hyper-affluent tech person,” a Valencia Street store “becomes a billboard to promote [a company’s] brand.” The outrageous rent paid simply becomes another line item in a company’s marketing budget.

You know, like Times Square or something. Cool. Awesome. Love it. I’m sorry, I’m trying not to be so negative. But this neighborhood is being smothered by a huge pile of money. Speaking of money, you can save some by taking advantage of Therapy’s clearance sale!

Sally snapped this shot of the view from the 299 Valencia condo development. Get yourself a telescope and you can go ahead and cancel your subscription to Kink.com.

[photo by Sally Kuchar/Curbed SF]

Looks like 14th st. is in for some more major changes. First there was yesterday’s groundbreaking for a new 202-unit “ugly as shit” residential complex. Now there’s another proposed condo building in the planning stages, right next to the Armory.

Kink.com, the building’s current occupants, are obviously not to pleased with a new building blocking off the killer view of the Armory’s glorious profile. On top of that, they cite the need for historical preservation of the building, which is totally what Kink is all about. As you may know, throughout the 20s-40s, the Armory was used as a sporting arena (the “Madison Square Garden of the West”) and to this day Kink hosts such high-profile sporting events as nude wrestling, whip skill competitions, and simultaneous-intercourse world record attempts.

The article at Curbed indicates Kink is interested in eventually restoring the main space for events, which does sound amazing. Can’t wait to check out a concert there, though I’ll be sure to wipe down my seat first. Head over to Curbed SF for the details.

[via Curbed SF]

Reader J9 sends us this:

These weird developer people came by my apartment today telling me that were going to build a bunch of gross loft condos down the street from my apartment at 15th street and S. van ness.

Take a look here:http://www.1501-15thstreet.com/

These condos don’t even look inhabitable- the buildings look like weird Darth Vader office buildings.

In case you’re a part of the Rebel Alliance, there’s a meeting tonight where you can discuss your concerns with the lack of neo-Victorian detailing in these chic living obelisks. Maybe you can glance at the plans and locate an unshielded thermal exhaust port:

Come to the 1501 15th Street Neighborhood Meeting on Wednesday, July 6th, 2011. The meeting will be held in Annunciation Cathedral at 245 Valencia Street @ 14th Street.

The Empire appears to be trying to evade dissent by not posting an actual start time, but rest assured, we have a contacted them and will update with the relevant info when we get it.

Update: Meeting starts at 6pm