Trocadero Transfer

The Trocadero Transfer was an after hours dance club in San Francisco from its opening in December 1977 to the late 1990s. It was located at 520 4th St. at Bryant in the SoMa neighborhood. In 2000, the club was bought by a new owner, remodeled, and renamed to the Glas Kat. In late 2011, the club was again remodeled, and the name was changed to The Grand.

The Trocadero Transfer was founded by Dick Collier. The club stayed open on Saturday nights until 6 a.m. The entire Golden Gate Business Association (San Francisco's Gay business association) had to go down to the San Francisco Board of Permit Appeals to make sure that the Trocadero got its after hours license, and even then it was a while before the club was allowed to serve alcohol after hours. People came to the Trocadero after the I-Beam closed at 2 a.m., and after the Trocadero closed at 6 a.m., those who still wanted to dance could after 1980 go to The EndUp, which opened at 6 a.m. Sunday morning.

Somewhat off-center of the dance floor, there was a narrow metal spiral staircase with clear plastic arms that went up from the dance floor to the balcony above where people could watch the dancers below. This spiral staircase was sometimes called The Crystal Staircase. ("Crystal Staircase" is a slang term used by gay African Americans. It refers to situations where someone has an easy life [someone who is born wealthy, has received a large inheritance, has gotten a job that is a sinecure, etc.]. Of course, crystal also refers to methamphetamine, which many patrons of the club took to stay up all night dancing.) Gender illusionists made a great show of ascending or descending the crystal staircase.

Hanging from the ceiling at the center of the dance floor, there was the hypnotic mirror ball cluster--about a dozen mirror balls of various sizes which continually spun around and were the focus of the dance floor.

It is said by many who reminisce about the Trocadero that the golden age of the Trocadero was between 1978 and 1981 before it became more commercialized and the music became less disco music and more modern rock. Some of the DJs who played at the Trocadero included Bobby Viteritti (the primary DJ at the Trocadero when it was at its zenith from 1978 to 1981),Patrick Cowley, Gary Tighe, Michael Whitehead, Michael Lewis, Billy Langenheim and Rex Bailey on Lights, Steve Smith, Ralph Zepeda, Rob Kimbel, Lester Temple, Michael Garrett, (DJ)Robbie Leslie, and Steve Fabus. Craig Morey was Bobby's opening DJ (playing early in the evening) in 1980 and 1981. Brad Blair, primary DJ at Studio One in LA in 1979, played there on August 22. 1982. Joseph Watt, played there as well, bringing a rock sound to the club.

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