Doc’s Clock Applies for Lifeline Legacy Status

As discovered back in February, Doc’s Clock’s time is running out. The Mission dive bar’s lease is set to expire in a year, and the building’s owner has decided not to renew. But that hasn’t stopped Doc’s Clock owner Carey Suckow from fighting back. In addition to looking for a new location for the beloved bar, Suckow is also applying for the newly-minted city status of “legacy business.”

The legacy business program is a new initiative of the city’s Historical Preservation Committee, and it offers financial incentives to landlords to protect San Francisco’s older (at least 30 years), and more vulnerable businesses. The committee will vote on Doc’s Clock status later this month, and if approved, would potentially give the bar $500 per employee as an annual grant, as well as $4.50 per square foot annually to property owners who extend ten-year leases to legacy businesses. Suckow doesn’t think this amount of money will change her landlord’s mind, but she does hope it could help as she looks for a new space.

Doc’s Clock isn’t the only bar in town trying to benefit from this new legacy standing. Just this week, SoMa gay bar Lonestar Saloon was preliminarily approved for the status, which could help save it from impending eviction.

To be clear, for now Doc’s Clock is still on track to close, but at least there is now a glimmer of hope. Stay tuned for more details.

• Doc’s Clock trying for legacy status [Capp Street Crap]
• Doc's Clock To Join the Dive Bar Graveyard [ESF]
• Daniel Patterson Tells Some Cold, Harsh Truths About Dining in San Francisco [ESF]