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Saving the Gold Dust: A Documentary Short About the Embattled Union Square Bar

John DuFour, Gold Dust regular.
John DuFour, Gold Dust regular. Photo: Mike Kepka

So, news arrived Tuesday that the Gold Dust Lounge gave up fighting its eviction from its longtime Union Square digs and has found a new space to move to near Fisherman’s Wharf. The bar’s owners are trying to be upbeat about it all, but the news is bittersweet, especially for neighborhood regulars like 82-year-old John DuFour, who probably don’t want to get on a cable car to go have his daily beer at the bar he calls his second home. DuFour and others, along with owners Tasios and Jimmy Bovis talk about the beloved, bawdy old dive and the saga surrounding the eviction fight in this new eleven-minute documentary film by Chronicle photographer Mike Kepka called Saving the Gold Dust.

We hope the bar finds a happy home by the Wharf, and as SFist points out, it was mostly a tourist hangout anyway. But not entirely. Watch and learn.


Watch a documentary about the Gold Dust Lounge [Scoop]
Earlier: Gold Dust Lounge to Close Wednesday Relocate to Fisherman’s Wharf [Updated]
Gold Dust Lounge Saga Update: Historic Preservation Commission Denies Landmark Status

Saving the Gold Dust: A Documentary Short About the Embattled Union