300 Columbus Avenue |
The Condor
Club, now the Condor Sports Bar, has the distinction of being the first
topless dance bar in the U.S. On June 16, 1964, Condor waitress Carol
Doda danced atop a white baby grand piano in a topless bathing suit,
then a controversial creation by designer Rudi Gernreich. Many area bars
and clubs immediately went topless. As the booby bar craze took off, Doda
underwent breast enlargement surgery to increase her bust size from 34
to 44 inches, thus insuring her status as the biggest star on Broadway
in North Beach. She went on to appear in films and as a TV hostess, rock
singer, pinup queen, and entrepreneur. Doda is the proprietor of Carol
Doda's Champagne and Lace Lingerie Boutique at 1850 Union Street. Doda
retired from the Condor in 1986, three years after the club had earned
another spot on San Francisco's wall of infamy. After closing one night
in November, 1983, Condor dancer Theresa Hill and bouncer Jimmy Ferrozzo
decided to "make love" atop the piano. When
a hydraulic system that raised and lowered the piano for performances was
accidentally activated, the couple became pinned to the ceiling. Ferrozzo
was crushed to death while Hill lay trapped beneath him until the pair
was discovered by a janitor several hours later.
Detail |
