San Francisco: A developer has filed plans that apparently threaten the historic fabric of one of the citys most important queer landmarks. The Arthur J. Sullivan Funeral Home at 2254 Market St. in the Castro is slated to close after 90 years in business — and the parking lot and other adjacent lots are targeted for a luxury residential development. The latest plans also call for adding three stories atop the historic 1924 structure. What makes the building worthy of preservation? When AIDS swept the Castro, countless services for gay men were held at Sullivans. In the early years of the epidemic, many mortuaries refused the bodies of those who had died of AIDS. According to a June 2006 AIDS timeline in the San Jose Mercury News, Sullivans was a notable exception: Owner Jim Sullivan lost a brother to AIDS, and his funeral home was one of the few in the city that would handle the funerals of AIDS victims. Sullivans stands as a powerful reminder of the wave of death that struck the gay community, the Castro and San Francisco in the 1980s–1990s — and of the reactions to the crisis that ranged from bigotry to solidarity. It also calls to mind the grief, the loss, the coming together of friends and family in mourning and memory. It certainly ranks as one of the most meaningful sites of queer and AIDS history in San Francisco. If you have recollections of Sullivans providing services for people who died of AIDS, please post them in the comments below.
Posted on: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 19:15:45 +0000
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