Vesuvio Cafe

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Vesuvio Cafe
Vesuvio mural.jpg
Mural outside Vesuvio Cafe
Map
LocationChinatown, San Francisco, United States
TypeBar
Opened1948
Website
vesuvio.com

Vesuvio Cafe is an historic bar in San Francisco, California, United States. Located at 255 Columbus Avenue, across an alley from City Lights Bookstore, the building was designed by Italian architect Italo Zanolini and finished in 1916.[1]

History[edit]

The bar was founded in 1948 by Henri Lenoir,[2] and was frequented by a number of Beat Generation celebrities including Jack Kerouac,[3] Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Neal Cassady.

Former part-owner and manager emeritus Leo Riegler died in 2017.[4]

The common alley shared with City Lights was originally called "Adler" but was renamed "Jack Kerouac Alley" in 1988. The alley was refurbished and converted to pedestrian only in 2007.[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ King, John (May 18, 2013). "Vesuvio provides portal to city's spirit". San Francisco Chronicle.
  2. ^ Celli, Robert. "Vesuvio Café". foundsf.org.
  3. ^ Jacobs, Rodger (May 28, 2009). "Depression 2.0: Sunday in Kerouac Alley". PopMatters.
  4. ^ "Leo H. Riegler Obituary". legacy.com.
  5. ^ Nolte, Carl (March 30, 2007). "San Francisco / Kerouac Alley has face-lift". San Francisco Chronicle.

External links[edit]

Coordinates: 37°47′51″N 122°24′21″W / 37.797365°N 122.40587°W / 37.797365; -122.40587