435-443 Broadway, formerly Mabuhay Gardens and later known as Fame, hosted seminal Bay Area punk acts including the Dead Kennedys, The Sex Pistols, and Black Flag. A collective of local investors, nightlife veterans, and North Beach neighbors aims to revive the venue using the original Mabuhay Gardens name. The group plans an initial concert on September 6 featuring Anthony Arya and seeks to attract more visitors to the space. The collective has launched a GoFundMe and says about ten people have invested so far while targeting $4.5 million to acquire the building. Ownership negotiations involve the late former owner Francesca Valdez’s estate.
A building that has been home to a generic nightclub and venue for years, but which was once home to the local epicenter of the Bay Area punk scene, is back in play with a group of investors looking to revive it as a music venue. That building is 435-443 Broadway, the former Mabuhay Gardens, and more recently known as Fame, an event venue and club. The Fab Mab, as it was known, saw legendary performances by the Dead Kennedys, The Sex Pistols, Black Flag, and more.
(Back in 2019 we heard that Awkwafina was attached to a film project about how Asian restaurants in California were the backbone of the burgeoning punk scene, but who knows where that stands.) Tom Watson, a designer and civil engineer who is part of the collective hoping to revive the Fab Mab, tells KQED this week, "We're going for it; we're not holding back." The group is hosting its first show in the venue on September 6, featuring local singer Anthony Arya.
The group does not yet own the building and has launched a GoFundMe to help with acquisition costs. Watson tells KQED that about 10 people had already invested undisclosed sums, and they are hoping to raise $4.5 million in total. Former owner Francesca Valdez, who passed away in July, had reportedly agreed to sell 49 percent of the building to Watson and his group. Now, he says, others are circling to try to buy it, and Valdez's sister is handling the sale.
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