Architectural legacy of the Underground Railroad
The meeting at 7 p.m. will take place at 2804 Bush Street in the lodge of Hannibal Lodge No. 1, the oldest Prince Hall Masonic lodge in the West, founded in 1852.
John William Templeton, principal investigator of a context statement on black historic sites in San Francisco, will describe the built landmarks associated with Hannibal and four other black organizations which were founded in 1852 as part of the National Underground Railroad.
Key members of Hannibal Lodge participated in Board of Supervisors land use committee on May 2 and a followup meeting with planning director John Rahaim and redevelopment agency director Fred Blackwell June 2 to seek registered landmark status for Hannibal and a number of other buildings associated with historic African-American businesses in the city such as Marcus Books, the country's oldest black bookstore; Sam Jordan's Bar, a cornerstone of the Third Street business district, the city's oldest collection of commercial buildings, and Club Long Island, a 400-seat cabaret from the 1960s on Third Street.
On June 15, the Historic Preservation Commission placed Sam Jordan's and Marcus Books on the Planning Dept.'s preservation worklist for the next fiscal year.
