The history and soul of the neighborhood shines through in this online tour of vintage signage found on the western end of the Tenderloin.

This Tenderloin West tour follows a route to discover ghost signs and vintage neon signs along the corridors of Polk, Larkin, Hyde, Post, Geary, and O’Farrell Streets in San Francisco. There are so many vintage signs in the Tenderloin it takes two tours to feature all of these remarkable signs and their backstories.

Free | Suggested donation of $10.

Zoom link will be sent on the day of the event to those who register.

This one-hour virtual tour features vintage neon signs and ghost signs (those faded historic hand painted signs on the sides of buildings or on store fronts that advertise a product or business that is long gone). You will see a rich collection of photographs, video clips, maps, and historic research compiled by hosts Al Barna and Randall Ann Homan, SF Neon preservationists, and Kasey Smith, SF Ghost Sign Mapping Project creator and artist. Tour includes histories of unique small businesses that once thrived in the Tenderloin plus the legacy businesses that have survived against considerable odds.

Banner photo by Al Barna.