Fillmore West

The building standing at the corner of Market Street and South Van Ness Avenue began its life long before the rock and roll era as a swing-era dance palace called the Carousel Ballroom. In early 1968, a collective of local bands including the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane took over the space as a self-managed laboratory for their musical and social experiments. This unique artist-run period lasted only six months, capturing the experimental spirit of the Haight-Ashbury scene at its most creative peak.