The Saloon

The Saloon, located at 1232 Grant Avenue in North Beach, is currently the oldest saloon of San Francisco and for decades has offered dancing and live music.

History

The Saloon first opened in 1861, and has been in continuous operation ever since.

This drinking establishment was originally owned by Ferdinand E. Wagner, the son of a liquor merchant in Studweiller (Bas Rhin, France), who named it Wagner's Beer Hall. In 1836 Wagner migrated to Louisiana, married a native of Cannes in 1845, and then opened a saloon there. But in 1852 Wagner moved to San Francisco, and first worked as a hotel manager and then as a fruit vendor. He brought his family to San Francisco, and by 1868 he opened Wagner's Beer Hall at 308 Dupont Street. When Dupont Street was renamed as Grant Avenue, it was renumbered as 1232 Grant. Ferdinand and his family lived in the two floors above the bar, and one of his sons would continue to operate the business after Ferdinand retired.

The building looks very much the same as it does in photographs from the 1870s. The elaborate wooden bar which is currently in use was installed in the 1860s, and was constructed outside of America and later shipped to San Francisco. The Saloon is located in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, although in the 1860s its location occurred near the northern border of the Barbary Coast district. During that time the Barbary Coast had scores of dance halls and concert saloons.