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The Castro, San Francisco: the Castro Theatre, the Rainbow Honor Walk and Corona Heights

The Castro, California

The Castro is a small district in central San Francisco whose core is Castro Street between Market and 19th Streets. The Castro Theatre stands at 429 Castro Street: San Francisco Landmark No. 100, designated in 1977 under Article 10 of the Planning Code. Harvey Milk ran a camera shop and a political campaign from 573-575 Castro Street, and bronze plaques set into the sidewalks of those blocks carry the Rainbow Honor Walk and the Castro Street History Walk. The district also holds two museums, one of them standing inside a 13.25-acre park whose summit is exposed red chert; a public library; a Catholic parish with published Mass times; a hardware store that moved into the remodelled 1910 Castro Theatre building in 1971; and a Wednesday farmers' market on Noe Street.

  1. San Francisco Landmark No. 100, designated in 1977; it opened on 22 June 1922 to a design by Timothy L. Pflueger and seats 1,400 for concerts and 1,150 for films.

  2. The flag and flagpole above Castro station are San Francisco Landmark No. 319, designated in 2024; the plaza was dedicated to Milk in 1985 and the flagpole added in 1997.

  3. The camera shop and campaign headquarters at 573-575 Castro Street, with Milk's flat above it, is San Francisco Landmark No. 227, designated in 2000.

  4. Bronze sidewalk plaques with a published self-guided tour, running from 19th and Collingwood along Castro Street to Market and branching both ways at 18th and Castro.

  5. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.; free to all visitors on the first Wednesday of every month, sponsored by the Bob Ross Foundation.

  6. A free museum inside Corona Heights Park, open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., in a 1951 building by William Merchant with Cafe Josephine on site.

  7. A 13.25-acre chert hill open 5 a.m. to midnight, with a one-mile trail network to a summit about 520 feet up and steps to the peak that carry no handrails.

  8. Fifteen granite pylons, each representing 1,000 lives lost, dedicated on 10 December 2001 by the Eureka Valley Promotion Association.

  9. San Francisco Landmark No. 267, designated in 2015, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 30 September 2019, reference number 100004413.

  10. A hardware and variety store that moved into 479 Castro Street, the remodelled 1910 Castro Theatre building, in 1971; keys cut, knives sharpened, glass and wood cut.

  11. On Noe Street, Wednesdays 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., from 1 April 2026 to 18 November 2026.

  12. A sober community coffeehouse at 4058 18th Street, open Sunday to Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

  13. The public library branch at 1 Jose Sarria Court, open Tuesday to Thursday until 8 and on Sundays from 1 to 5.

  14. A working parish at 100 Diamond Street with daily Mass at 8:00 a.m., a Saturday vigil at 5:00 p.m. and three Masses on Sunday.

Castro Street between Market and 19th

Twin Peaks Tavern is at 401 Castro Street, San Francisco Landmark No. 264, designated in 2012. The Bank of Italy Branch Building at 400-410 Castro Street is San Francisco Landmark No. 325, designated in 2026. Above the entrance to Castro station, the rainbow flag and its flagpole at Harvey Milk Plaza are San Francisco Landmark No. 319, designated in 2024; the plaza was dedicated to Milk in 1985 and the flagpole was added in 1997, for the twentieth anniversary of his election. Pink Triangle Park and Memorial stands at Castro, Market and 17th Streets.

Walking south from Market, the addresses come quickly. The Castro Theatre is at 429 Castro Street, San Francisco Landmark No. 100, designated in 1977; the ordinance that amended the designation in 2023 names the property 429-431 Castro Street. Cliff's Variety is at 471-479 Castro Street. The San Francisco AIDS Foundation building at 514-520 Castro Street is San Francisco Landmark No. 333, designated in 2026. Castro Camera, where Harvey Milk kept his shop and his flat, is at 573-575 Castro Street, San Francisco Landmark No. 227, designated in 2000, and the Castro Rock Steam Baths at 578-582 Castro Street are San Francisco Landmark No. 326, designated in 2026.

The sidewalks themselves are the other thing to look at. The Rainbow Honor Walk sets bronze plaques into the pavement, and the Castro Street History Walk adds twenty historical fact plaques contained within the 400 and 500 blocks of Castro Street, between 19th and Market. Both sit in paving laid by the Castro Street Streetscape Improvement Project, which San Francisco Public Works records as completed, on Castro Street between Market and 19th Streets, with a budget of ten million dollars in District 8, funded by the 2011 Road Repaving and Street Safety Bond and the Federal Transportation Administration. The same project page names special paving and barrier improvements at Jane Warner Plaza, the pedestrian plaza at the streetcar turnaround.

Getting there

Castro station opened in 1980 and is served by the Muni Metro K, L, M and S lines. Its main entrance is below Harvey Milk Plaza, where Market, Castro and 17th Streets meet. The F Market heritage streetcar line turns around at Market and 17th Streets. No source states a journey time or a distance between any two addresses in the district, so steer by the addresses themselves.

The ones worth writing down: the Castro Theatre at 429 Castro Street; the GLBT Historical Society Museum at 4127 18th Street; Cliff's Variety at 471-479 Castro Street; the Castro Country Club at 4058 18th Street; the Eureka Valley / Harvey Milk Memorial Branch Library at 1 Jose Sarria Court; Most Holy Redeemer at 100 Diamond Street; and the Castro Farmers' Market at 270 Noe Street.

Corona Heights Park and the Randall Museum share an entrance address at 199 Museum Way, and the Recreation and Parks Department gives the park entrance as Roosevelt and Museum Way. The museum stands inside the park, and the park adjoins Buena Vista Park. Note that the steps leading up to the peak of Corona Heights are not supported by handrails.

Hours, admission and Mass times

The Randall Museum opens Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Sunday and Monday, and admission is free; Cafe Josephine inside it opens Tuesday to Friday 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The GLBT Historical Society Museum opens Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., closed Monday, and is free to all visitors on the first Wednesday of every month, sponsored by the Bob Ross Foundation. The Eureka Valley / Harvey Milk Memorial Branch Library opens Sunday 1 to 5, Monday 10 to 6, Tuesday to Thursday 10 to 8, Friday 1 to 6 and Saturday 10 to 6.

Corona Heights Park gives its hours as 5 a.m. to midnight. The Castro Farmers' Market at 270 Noe Street runs Wednesdays 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., from 1 April 2026 to 18 November 2026. Cliff's Variety opens Monday to Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Castro Country Club opens Sunday to Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Friday and Saturday 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. The Cafe at 2369 Market Street opens Thursday to Saturday, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Most Holy Redeemer at 100 Diamond Street gives Mass Monday to Friday at 8:00 a.m., a Saturday vigil at 5:00 p.m., Sunday at 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., holy days at 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., Thanksgiving Day at 10:00 a.m., and reconciliation on Saturdays from 3:45 to 4:30 p.m. The Castro Theatre and the Swedish American Hall both publish live event calendars rather than fixed opening hours. For Twin Peaks Tavern, no source states opening hours, so none are given here.

Frequently asked questions

What can a visitor actually go inside?
Two museums, a library, a park, a church and a coffeehouse, all with published hours. The GLBT Historical Society Museum at 4127 18th Street opens Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Randall Museum at 199 Museum Way opens Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., free. The Eureka Valley / Harvey Milk Memorial Branch Library is at 1 Jose Sarria Court. Corona Heights Park gives park hours of 5 a.m. to midnight. Most Holy Redeemer at 100 Diamond Street publishes Mass times. The Castro Country Club at 4058 18th Street, a sober community coffeehouse, opens from 7:00 a.m. daily. The Castro Theatre trades on a live event calendar.
What is the Castro Theatre?
A cinema and concert hall at 429 Castro Street. It is San Francisco Landmark No. 100, designated in 1977 under Article 10 of the Planning Code, and the designation was amended by Ordinance No. 109-23 in 2023, which names the property 429-431 Castro Street. The theatre opened on 22 June 1922 to a design by Timothy L. Pflueger. Its Art Deco marquee was added in 1937. The auditorium seats 1,400 for concerts and 1,150 for films, and the venue publishes a live event calendar.
What are the bronze plaques in the sidewalk?
Two separate sets, sharing the same blocks. The Rainbow Honor Walk, founded by David Perry, installed a first round of twenty plaques in 2014 and completed a second round of twenty-four in 2019; twenty-four further honorees were named in 2022. Its own counters give 46 plaques installed and 28 planned, with fundraising continuing. The route runs from the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy at 19th and Collingwood along Castro Street to Market, and it branches in both directions at 18th and Castro. The Castro Street History Walk is a separate set of twenty historical fact plaques, ten of them covering the period from before 1776 to the 1960s, contained within the 400 and 500 blocks of Castro Street.
Which buildings here carry Article 10 landmark designations?
They are spread across Castro Street, Upper Market and the surrounding blocks. On or near Castro Street: San Francisco Landmark No. 100 (the Castro Theatre), No. 227 (Castro Camera), No. 264 (Twin Peaks Tavern), No. 319 (the rainbow flag at Harvey Milk Plaza), No. 325 (the Bank of Italy branch), No. 326 (the Castro Rock Steam Baths), No. 329 (Full Moon Coffeehouse) and No. 333 (the San Francisco AIDS Foundation building). On Market Street: No. 79 (the Miller-Joost House), No. 241 (the Jose Theater), No. 267 (the Swedish American Hall) and No. 277 (New Era Hall). Elsewhere: No. 39 (Saint Francis Lutheran Church), No. 67 and No. 68 (the Tanforan Cottages), No. 80 (the Clarke Mansion), No. 208 (the McCormick House), No. 255 (Mission High School), No. 284 (the Benedict-Gieling House), No. 322 (the Bob Ross House), No. 323 (Sha'ar Zahav) and No. 335 (St. Nicholas Cathedral).
Is anything free?
Admission to the Randall Museum is free. The GLBT Historical Society Museum is free to all visitors on the first Wednesday of every month, sponsored by the Bob Ross Foundation. The Eureka Valley / Harvey Milk Memorial Branch Library and every park cost nothing: Corona Heights at 199 Museum Way, Kite Hill at 10 Stanton Street, Seward Mini Park at 70 Corwin Street, Peixotto Playground at 2475 15th Street, States Street Playground at 122 States Street, and the three mini parks at 299 Henry Street, 70 Ord Street and 1 Beaver Street. Pink Triangle Park and Memorial is open ground at Castro, Market and 17th Streets, and the Rainbow Honor Walk is in the pavement.

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