SF EAGLE 
Established in 1981 as one of the first leather bars, the SF Eagle caters to the local LGBTQ+ community. It gained a reputation for its ultra-masculine patronage, initially a stark contrast to popular conceptions of gay men in the early 1980s.
Through remarkable periods of exuberance, revolutions in cultural expression, and the profound hardship of the AIDS epidemic, the SF Eagle remains an enduring symbol of pride to the LGBTQ+ community in San Francisco's West SoMa district.
Over the past 40 years, the SF Eagle has emerged as a rallying point and community hub, attracting a vibrant and evolving patronage that makes the venue an integral part of San Francisco's diverse character on the frontier of human social expression.
There are a number of clubs in cities across America that take on the Eagle name. Borrowing from the strength and inherent affection for a classically American symbol, the Eagle brand is a spiritual franchise, prominent in the cultural awareness of the community it serves, with each bar in their respective cities remaining independently operated establishments.
The SF Eagle has played a major part in Pride celebrations, the Leather Pride Parade and the emergence of the Folsom Street Fair and the Dore Alley Fair, including the largest community gatherings in San Francisco, drawing millions of tourists to the city annually. Many local fraternal organizations rely on the venue as a meeting place, both formally and informally, to raise contributions at charitable events, recruit membership and communicate their mission, values and function.
The club also sponsors local amateur sports teams, and holds an annual contest to elect "Mr. SF Eagle Leather" as a participant in the International Mr. Leather (IML) competition.
The SF Eagle's mission is to preserve the legacy, history and traditions of the LGBTQ+ and Leather communities it was created to serve, and to provide and protect a safe and supportive environment allowing its patronage the freedom to be exactly who they are.
In October 2021, the Board of Supervisors named the SF Eagle a San Francisco Landmark under Article 10 of the Planning Code, the first leather bar in the city to be recognized this way. The honor stands for forty years of significant events and the people behind them, from the height of the AIDS crisis to the rise of the Folsom and Dore Alley fairs. Its period of significance runs from 1981, the year the doors opened, to 2021.
Details from the San Francisco Planning Department's Article 10 landmark designation.
The SF Eagle opens on April 8 at 12th and Harrison, one of the first Eagle bars in the country and the only SOMA leather bar with an outdoor patio.
Chris Winkler is named the first Mr. SF Eagle and goes on to place at International Mr. Leather, beginning four decades of Eagle contests.
The outdoor patio and stage are added, giving SOMA a rare open-air gathering place for parties, fundraisers, and shows.
Manager Terry Thompson brings the Bare Chest Calendar to the bar, and Eagle employee Patrick Towner founds the Up Your Alley (Dore Alley) fair as an AIDS benefit.
Through the height of the AIDS crisis the Eagle loses 22 employees and becomes a hub of grassroots fundraising and memorials. Over its history the bar has raised more than $30 million for the community.
Mayor Art Agnos declares a day in honor of the manager who drove the Eagle’s fundraising through the worst years of the epidemic.
The charity walk from the Castro is founded with the Eagle as its finish line, where the leather flag is raised over a Sunday Beer Bust.
John Gardiner and Joe Banks buy the bar. A condition of the sale keeps "Eagle" in the name, and it carries on as the Eagle Tavern.
Lex Montiel and Mike Leon acquire the bar and close it to bring it up to code, with structural, electrical, and accessibility work.
The bar returns as the SF Eagle, now with an ADA-accessible entrance and restroom and a fresh start under its new owners.
The National AIDS Memorial Grove recognizes San Francisco’s leather community, and the Eagle buses several hundred people to the ceremony.
San Francisco adds the SF Eagle to its Legacy Business Registry, recognizing its long-standing contribution to the city’s culture.
The city establishes the Leather and LGBTQ Cultural District in SoMa, an effort whose early meetings were held at the Eagle.
The city breaks ground on Eagle Plaza, a leather-themed public plaza next door. The same year, the family loses Mike Leon.
The Board of Supervisors names the SF Eagle San Francisco Landmark No. 295, the first leather bar in the city to be recognized this way.
Lex Montiel carries on the traditions and values that built the place: residents, contests, Sunday Beer Busts, and the best patio in SoMa.