Did you know that multiple cities in the U.S., including New York, once had sketchy neighborhoods nicknamed "Tenderloin" all because policemen could always expect bribes and/or hazard pay for working there, and could therefore afford to eat better cuts of meat for dinner? That's one explanation, anyway, that you'll learn at the newly open Tenderloin Museum, which opened its doors to the public on Thursday.

It's a project that been in the works for well over three years, and it resides in a retail space in the Cadillac Hotel, at the corner of Eddy and Leavenworth, that was once upon a time home to a Sizzler, and more recently was the original home of Naan 'n' Curry.

As museum director Randy Shaw, who's also executive director of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic, tells the Chronicle, the museum is more about the neighborhood's fascinating history than it is about its gritty present. "It’s the story of the Tenderloin from 1907 to the present in the bars and restaurants, the gay and lesbian movement, the jazz and music." The museum cost $3.5 million to build and fill out, largely funded by local property owners looking to promote the area.

Among the collection are exhibits about the legendary Blackhawk Jazz Club where Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Dave Brubeck, Thelonious Monk and others played and recorded; and recording studio Wally Heider Studios where the Grateful Dead, Santana and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young all recorded.

In addition to the permanent collection of photos and other neighborhood memorabilia, which you can see for a $10 admission price, an additional $5 gets you a guided walking tour from a local resident. The Guardian went on one of these led by Vietnam veteran and one-time neighborhood junkie Del Seymour who makes jokes as leads groups around like, "It hasn’t rained in a while. So remember, if you see liquid on the streets, it’s isn’t rainfall."

And though many people don't like the word gentrification, Shaw sees the changes in the neighborhood, and the influx of tech workers and new residents, as largely a good thing. He says of community leaders, "They don’t see technology as a threat."

Will the new museum successfully draw tourists to what is still one of the sketchiest sections of town? That remains to be seen.

Photo: Leigh Wiener/Facebook