The 38th Annual Art Deco Preservation Ball at Bimbo’s 365 Club in San Francisco, was a Gala affair, with hundreds of guests attired and bejeweled in their finest gowns, tuxedos, and suits recalling eras from the Roaring 20’s to the Fabulous Fifties. The evening featured a reception with the award winners, award presentations, and a special guest speaker discussing the importance of preserving Art Deco architecture in the modern era.
The Art Deco Preservation Ball was presented on April 27, 2024 by the San Francisco chapter of The Art Deco Society of California, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation, promotion, and celebration of Art Deco architecture, art, music, fashion, and design. The Art Deco Society was founded in 1981, and works to raise awareness about the importance of preserving unique and historically significant structures, art, and craft forms.
The Art Deco Preservation Awards recognizes outstanding efforts in preserving and promoting Art Deco architecture and design in California. The Awards recognize excellence in restoration, adaptive reuse, and advocacy efforts that contribute to the ongoing vitality of California’s Art Deco heritage. See the List of this year’s Winners below.
It was a glamorous evening of dancing and music. The crowd was engaged and highly entertained throughout the evening. There was a very successful Silent Auction, with a grand prize Dinner for Eight at the Avalon Dining Room. Other prizes bid on included tickets to the Cicada Restaurant and lounge in Los Angeles, two tickets to the 2025 Art Deco Avalon Ball in 2025. Auction proceeds went to the Art Deco Preservation fund.
The evening was a night of not to be missed opportunities to visit old friends and make new friends alike. Not to mention all the eye candy of beautiful fashions highlighting the Art Deco theme. Have you ever wished for an`old tyme’ Supper Club where you could get all gussied up, sitting table-side in a lush ballroom with beautiful orchestral music playing, or getting out on the floor to show off your moves, and your duds. Well, many did just that!
Music and Entertainment throughout the evening was provided by Don Neely’s Royal Jazz Orchestra, featuring Carla Normand. There was music by The Nick Rossi Trio, performances by the Decobelles directed by Laurie Gordon, and Gregg & Katie.
The setting for the evening’s Awards Ball could not have been more perfect than the historic Bimbo’s 365 Club on Columbus Street in North Beach. Bimbo’s 365 Club is a true Icon of San Francisco history! Agostino Giuntoli immigrated from Italy in 1922 and found his first job as a Janitor at the Palace Hotel. His boss Monk Young couldn’t remember his name, and nicknamed him “Bimbo.”
`Mr. Bimbo,’ opened the 365 Club on Market Street in 1931 with Monk Young as his partner. From all America the club became the place for stars and celebrities that were out to beat the woes of the depression and Prohibition. There were long legged Chorus Girls and Gin was served in coffee cups. There were famous Chanteuse’s of the day, jugglers, dancers, and comics. Rita Hayworth started out at Bimbos as a Chorus Girl. Bimbos was the place to be and the place to be seen.
Bimbo’s moved to its current location on Columbus Street in 1951 where things got bigger and wilder in the new club. Agostino Giuntoli, Mr. Bimbo, `wanted a nautical theme for the new incarnation of his club. He wanted it big, splashy, and sexy because Bimbo’s had become a mecca for show business, politicians, and the music industry in San Francisco.’
Today the club is a living testament to the Nightclub opened in 1951, still in operation much as it was then. Just like then, everybody stood at the bar, puzzled over the optical illusion provided by Dolfina, The Girl in the Fishbowl. Famed San Francisco Model and Performer, Ms. Edie Eve, was Dolfina on the night of The Art Deco Ball, and we cannot show you pictures of her as Dolfina here in Splash, because she appeared to swim nude in the fish tank behind the bar.
Julian first attained some notoriety when he was hired to paint a 90-foot-long mural in 1939 at the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island. He was then invited to show at the Newhouse Gallery in New York City, before joining the US Army to serve his country. The 1950s were known as the Golden Age of Julian Ritter and he was in great demand throughout the country. Beginning in 1950, Julian’s cadre of works began with the Sliver Slipper Collection in Las Vegas, later owned and fought for in court by Howard Hughes.
He was a well know painter of murals and walls early on. Sadly today, there are no surviving examples of Julian’s mural work, other than the Mural of King Neptune at Bimbo’s 365 Club. Julian went on to a storied career, which you can read about online, as well as watching for the upcoming Biography, `The Life and Art of Julian Ritter.’ You can see all of the paintings in the Bimbo’s Collection, including the King Neptune Mural at this link: Bimbo’s Collection.
The paintings at Bimbo’s 365 Club by Julian Ritter, belong in a Museum in my opinion, yet I commend the Owners of Bimbo’s 365 Club for maintaining the historical relevance and accuracy of the art, and architecture, and for keeping the club open and alive with ongoing events and concerts of the highest caliber. If you are in San Francisco, be sure to check out the lineup online because Bimbo’s is not to be missed. It is one unique Club where you can go today, and see what it was like back in the 50’s.
Now for the Announcements: The winners of the 2024 Art Deco Preservation Awards are as follows: Michael Crowe Award: Formosa Cafe, West Hollywood. The 1933 Group, for revival and restoration of an iconic Hollywood restaurant and cocktail lounge from 1939. Santa Barbara Main Post Office, U.S. Postal Service, for preserving the 1930s Art Deco interior of a Spanish Colonial Revival Style Post Office designed by architect Reginald Johnson. Relic Vintage, Oran Scott, San Francisco. For recreating a 1940s style apparel shop and preserving vintage fashion of the Art Deco era. Mount View Hotel, Calistoga. For restoring and preserving a Mission Revival hotel with interior Art Deco details that evoked a 1930s remodel. High Street Pharmacy, Oakland. For creating a sensitive Art Deco-inspired interior decor in this small independent pharmacy and creating an era appropriate neon sign. Art Deco Technology Award, Michael Taylor, Regrout USA. For restoring historic tile and creating patented tools for the process. Cultural Legacy Award: Carla Normand, preserving the voice of the Art Deco era. Certificate of Appreciation: Bradbury & Bradbury, Benicia. For recreating vintage and era appropriate wallpaper patterns for the 1920s through the 1940s
The Art Deco Preservation Ball, 2024
Art Deco Society of California on Facebook
WHERE: The Bimbo’s 365 Club, 1025 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, Ca 94133 (415) 474-0365
No On-Site Parking: Street and nearby parking structures. Do not leave valuables in your car.
Artist Julian Ritter (1909 – 2000)
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*Photos ©2024GregAutry_ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
(All photos are by Greg Autry from the 2024 Art Deco Preservation Ball, April 27th.)
Photos of Julian Ritter paintings used with the permission of the Julian Ritter estate.
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