Celebrate Marcus Books as a musical and literary landmark

MIKE KOOZMIN/S.F. EXAMINER FILE PHOTO Marcus Book Store has been a fixture in the Fillmore district of San Francisco since 1960, and it's the oldest black bookstore in America. The Bay Area community is coming together to support designation for Marcus Books on November 6th, as a musical and literary landmark. At City Hall on Sept. 18th, the San Francisco Historic Landmark Commission supported starting the process for Marcus Books. Raise your voice, too! This was an event where the Bay Area community, NAACP, SFSU faculty, ACCE and students voiced their support for Marcus Books as a beacon for Fillmore. They let City Hall know that Marcus Books represented continents of ideas, community, education and history. We look forward to seeing you at this event on November 6th, as the San Francisco Historic Landmark Commission will continue the process. This is a bookstore that has hosted authors from around the world including Rosa Parks, Toni Morrison, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Maya Angelou, Oprah Winfrey, Amiri Baraka, Marvin X, Iyanla Vanzant, Danny Glover, Barbara Lee, Bill Cosby and Nathan McCall. At this commission meeting you'll hear in depth history from Marcus Books and be part of the effort to support literary contributions of the Fillmore. As a part of the campaign to save our community and Marcus Books, we need to preserve the building that has housed Jimbo's Bop City, the history of the African American Community in San Francisco, and the legacy of the Fillmore. Marcus Books opened in 1960, growing from a business for printing established in 1947. Marcus Books supported emerging Civil Rights authors during the 60's and launched many events for women authors during the 70's. Previously the Marcus Books building was Bop City, a well known Jazz center that hosted some of the greatest musicians : Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Ben Webster, Billy Eckstine, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Dinah Washington and John Coltrane among many. Marcus Books has been at the forefront of assisting residents in the area with economic and neighborhood initiatives. Support a bookstore that's been in the community for over 53 years! Join us and speak out about why this property and Marcus Books is important to our community. The Bay Area community is coming together to support designation for Marcus Books on November 6th, as a musical and literary landmark. At City Hall on Sept. 18th, the San Francisco Historic Landmark Commission supported starting the process for Marcus Books. Raise your voice, too! This was an event where the Bay Area community, NAACP, SFSU faculty, ACCE and students voiced their support for Marcus Books as a beacon for Fillmore. They let City Hall know that Marcus Books represented continents of ideas, community, education and history. We look forward to seeing you at this event on November 6th, as the San Francisco Historic Landmark Commission will continue the process. This is a bookstore that has hosted authors from around the world including Rosa Parks, Toni Morrison, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Maya Angelou, Oprah Winfrey, Amiri Baraka, Marvin X, Iyanla Vanzant, Danny Glover, Barbara Lee, Bill Cosby and Nathan McCall. At this commission meeting you'll hear in depth history from Marcus Books and be part of the effort to support literary contributions of the Fillmore. Marcus Books seeks landmark status to help avoid closure  By Joe Fitzgerald @FitzTheReporter The effort to save a black bookstore in the historically black Fillmore district has entered a new chapter, as the Historic Preservation Commission on Wednesday considered designating the site of the Marcus Book Store a landmark. Part of the fabric of the neighborhood since 1960 and the nation's oldest black bookstore, Marcus Books moved to 1712 Fillmore St. in 1980 after activists saved it from bulldozing during the Fillmore's redevelopment period. Many black-owned businesses were lost during that time. But the question now is more than just about recognizing the store's historical importance — will it even be able to stay in its current location? An alleged predatory loan drove part-owner Blanche Richardson into bankruptcy in 2006, forcing husband and wife Gregory and Karen Johnson to try to raise enough money to recover that share. They managed to find an investor, Westside Community Services, but not in time. "They were a day late but not a dollar short," said the couple's attorney, Julian Davis. The property was bought by real estate investors Nishan and Suhaila Sweis, and they don't want Marcus Books to stay. Historical designation could give the bookstore "some leverage" in negotiations with the new owners, Davis said. "I know that a lot of property owners don't like to have landmark status because it limits what they can do with it," he said. Those limits include that certain architectural features, the facade and other visual elements of the old Victorian would have restrictions on changes. Though it would create leverage, the landmark status doesn't guarantee that Marcus Books would stay, Davis said. Any help would be useful though, he said, as negotiations with the Sweis family are "at a standstill." Calls to the Sweises' attorney were not returned. The preservation commission ultimately decided to table the decision on Marcus Books until Aug. 21. Notably, the commission has been tinkering with the decision since June 2011, according to its agenda documentation. Commission Vice President Andrew Wolfram explained at Wednesday's meeting that the public may get confused as to why the commission makes certain decisions at certain times, and that it's good to group certain building types, such as Victorians, together for consideration. Owner Karen Johnson said that giving Marcus Books landmark status is ultimately a choice between two beliefs. "If we value black contributions to civilization, it makes sense," she said. "If we don't value them, it doesn't. "