What was once the popular Tower Records building (now home to a Barry's) at Market and Noe streets has just been bought by the city, and its upper floor will be home to the museum and archive for the GLBT Historical Society.

San Franciscans who were around in the 1990s remember the days when, if you wanted concert tickets, you had to go to something called a “record store” and get paper tickets at something called a “Ticketmaster counter.” And one of the more frequented Ticketmaster counters in town was at the Castro’s Tower Records at Market and Noe streets. (Remember the Radio Shack and Kard Zone that were there too?) That Tower Records closed in 2006, and sat vacant until a Trader Joe's was going to move in in 2010, but that deal got scuttled. The space became a CVS in 2013, which only lasted three years, and it's now been a Barry’s Bootcamp for several years.

The Bay Area Reporter brings us the news that the City of San Francisco has bought the building, and its vacant upper floor will serve as the new home for the GLBT Historical Society museum and archive. That museum and archive is currently in a smaller space on 18th Street between Castro and Collingwood streets.

"Today, San Francisco is yet again making history," GLBT Historical executive director Roberto Ordeñana told the Bay Area Reporter. "This investment is more than the purchase of a building; it is about creating a home to share the lessons of LGBTQ and allied history that will be housed inside, led by trailblazers before us, activists who are with us today, and the leaders of the future that will ensure our stories, our struggles, and our hopes for a better tomorrow are forever understood."

Per the Reporter, the city had hoped to buy the long-vacant Pottery Barn building at Castro and Market streets, but that building was asking at least $15 million. The city was able to talk the Barry’s/Tower Records building owner down to $11.6 million, and a state grant will cover $5.5 million of that.

As for Barry’s, they’ve subleased the ground floor space through 2040, and can remain there for that duration. Meanwhile, there’s also a Dignity Health-GoHealth Urgent Care in the lower floor that can remain until 2036. So the GLBT Historical Society museum and archive will be on the upper floor.

The purchase is not yet official, and has to be approved by the SF Board of Supervisors. Supervisor Rafael Mandelman will reportedly introduce legislation to approve the purchase at the supervisors’ October 1 meeting.

Related: The Castro's Renowned GLBT Historical Society Museum Now Open to the Public [SFist]

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