Mayor Lurie Signs Legislation Expanding Landmark at Site of Historic Compton's Cafeteria Riot

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today signed legislation expanding the landmark designation for the site of the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot at the intersection of Turk Street and Taylor Street. Authored by District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood and originally proposed by community members, the designation landmarks the entire building at 101 Taylor Street and details preservation requirements for the intersection at Turk and Taylor while expanding the period of historic significance from one year to approximately a decade.

The expanded landmark designation builds on Mayor Lurie’s work to support and celebrate San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ community. In this year’s budget, Mayor Lurie maintained funding for LGBTQ+ community-based organizations and services for San Franciscans living with HIV and AIDS, while closing a $642 million deficit driven by hundreds of millions in federal cuts. Last year, the mayor announced new deeply affordable housing for LGBTQ+ elders and expanded the LGBTQ+ shelter at Jazzie’s Place. After launching the Castro entertainment zone, the mayor announced progress on the memorial at Harvey Milk Plaza, a monument that will celebrate Harvey Milk’s legacy and LGBTQ+ history and serve as a gateway to the Castro for residents and visitors.

“The 1966 Compton’s Cafeteria Riot was a defining moment in the fight for transgender rights, in San Francisco and across the country. Today, I am proud to sign legislation expanding the landmark designation for the site of the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot,” said Mayor Lurie. “Following its recent addition to the National Register of Historic Places, this landmark expansion is another step toward ensuring this moment in our city’s history is recognized and remembered in its entirety. I thank Supervisor Mahmood for his leadership in preserving this legacy and honoring the courage and resilience of our trans community. We remain committed to building a city where trans San Franciscans feel safe, supported, and welcomed.”

“The people who fought back at Compton’s Cafeteria deserve to have their courage remembered and their history protected. By preserving the entire exterior of this building, we honor the transgender people who risked so much to demand dignity and justice,” said Supervisor Mahmood. “There is more work to do, and we’ll continue working alongside the community to ensure their stories are never erased and their legacy lives on for generations to come.”

The 1966 Compton’s Cafeteria Riot was one of the earliest known acts of collective resistance to police harassment by transgender and gender-nonconforming people in the United States. The riot and subsequent advocacy by the LGBTQ+ community and allies led San Francisco’s Health and Police departments to develop some of the first support programs in the nation for transgender residents. 

In 2022, San Francisco designated the intersection of Turk and Taylor streets, alongside the exterior of 101 Taylor Street, as a local landmark. Subsequently, in 2025, the Compton’s Cafeteria site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, recognizing the entire building at 101 Taylor Street as a historic property associated with the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot. The legislation signed today by Mayor Lurie aligns the local landmark designation with the defining features identified in the National Register.

The expanded landmark designation requires the preservation and eventual repair or replacement of specific features at the site of the riot, including the height, shape, architectural ornaments, and rooflines of 101 Taylor Street, along with the facade, decorative elements, masonry stucco, storefront location, and mid-block residential building entrance. 

“The Compton’s Cafeteria Riot sparked changes that redefined the city’s culture and values,” said Sarah Dennis Phillips, San Francisco Planning Department Director. “Today’s landmark expansion recognizes that, while the riot and protest happened over just two days, those events raised public awareness of police harassment of the transgender community, resulted in new city programs to support the transgender community, and paved the way for decades of advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights.”

The amended landmark designation also expands the period of historic significance from 1966, when the riot occurred, to the mid-1960s through mid-1970s. This change recognizes the site’s importance, not just in the time immediately around the riot but also in the subsequent years of public awareness, marches, and protests for transgender rights. These efforts ultimately changed how the city supported the transgender community and led to broader public understanding and acceptance.

“On the same block as the Gene Compton’s Cafeteria building, trans and nonbinary communities continue to fight against the same brutalities that they once faced,” said Breonna McCree and Carlo Gomez Arteaga, Co-Executive Directors of the Transgender District. “This expansion of the landmark designation of Gene Compton’s Cafeteria building represents a significant milestone for our community, as well as San Francisco as a whole. At a time of continued erasure of trans and nonbinary people at the national and local level, this designation reaffirms our right to not only exist in San Francisco but also continue shaping the culture of the city we proudly call home.”

“For decades, marchers, artists, activists, and visitors from around the globe have gathered at 111 Taylor celebrating trans history,” said Megan Rohrer, Human Rights Commissioner. “Today’s landmarking is about more than a building: It is also about creating a beacon of hope for trans community around the globe.”

“Expanding the historic landmark status of the building where the Compton's Cafeteria Riot started speaks to its significance as the earliest officially documented LGBTQ uprising in the country,” said Honey Mahogany, San Francisco Office of Transgender Initiatives Director. “Unfortunately, across the nation, there are people actively attempting to erase the history and contributions of queer and trans people. It is more important than ever that here in San Francisco we double down on our values and support all the diverse members of our community that make our city great.”