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6114 California Street, November, 2002. |
The Church
of Satan at 6114 California Street was in ruins and marked for demolition
in 2001. The property was long the home of founder and Satanic Bible author
Anton LaVey who died in 1997. LaVey was known as the Black Pope by his
followers who included the Manson Family and Jane Mansfield. A natural
showman, he sustained his evil act by conducting decades of rites, rituals,
and curses at this location in the City. LaVey, who founded the church
in 1966, was beneath it all a media character. His manifesto ascribed his
own brand of dark psychological insight to a lot of the same debauchery
that was happening in Northern California leading up to the Summer of Love.
Though he became known all over the world, LaVey's success waned in the
'80s and by the early '90s he had gone bankrupt. Current owners of the
broken down black Victorian plan to build a three-unit building on the
site. It is a testament to the City's housing market that developers expect
no shortage of applications from renters willing to live over the doorway
to Hell. If the San Franciscan is asked in a trivia game to name the
father of Rosemary's Baby the San Franciscan will always answer Anton LaVey.
LaVey is often given credit for the uncredited role of the Devil in Roman
Polanski's classic 1968 thriller starring Mia Farrow. The Internet Movie
Database credits character actor Clay Tanner in the role and names LaVey
as a consultant on the film.
Detail I
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Copyright 2001 Hank Donat |