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

This Tenderloin East tour features ghost signs and vintage neon signs along the corridors of Ellis, Eddy, Golden Gate, Leavenworth, Jones, Taylor, Mason, Powell, and Market Streets. There are so many vintage signs in the Tenderloin it takes two tours to feature all 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.

In proud partnership with the Tenderloin Museum.

Banner photo by Al Barna, Hotel Shawmut ghost sign photo by Kasey Smith, El Rosa Hotel ghost sign photo by Randall Ann Homan, cable car photo by Walt Vielbaum, Market Street Railway