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Uncle Donald's Castro Street
-Harvey Milk-
ALMOST 30 YEARS LATER
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Harvey Milk died almost 30 years ago on November 27, 1978.
His memory is still very much alive in San Francisco.
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There are many public institutions named after Harvey,Milk including a school and a recreational center. The plaza in front of the Muni Metro station at Market and Castro is known as Harvey Milk Plaza. On November 7, 1997, the 20th anniversary of Milk's election victory, Willie Brown, the Mayor of San Francisco, presided at a ceremony marking the occasion. In Milk's honor, the Mayor raised a 20-foot by 30-foot Rainbow Flag on a 70-foot tall flag pole in Harvey Milk Plaza. The flag flies 24 hours a day except during bad weather or high winds when it is replaced by a smaller one. It can be seen from the foot of Market Street and from Twin Peaks. Early in the year 2000 the Rainbow Flag reclaimed its original full set of 8 stripes - PINK RED ORANGE YELLOW GREEN TURQUOISE BLUE and PURPLE, designed by Gilbert Baker in 1978. For a year or so, the 8-stripe flag flew over Harvey Milk Plaza but eventually reverted to the 6-stripe version.
This picture was taken at the 1998 Castro Street Fair.
Through the efforts of Wendy Nelder, head of the Mayor's Neighborhood Beautification Fund, the City of San Francisco provided funds for a mural to be painted on the front of the building at 575 Castro Street which housed "CASTRO CAMERA" and the upstairs residence of Harvey Milk and his lover Scott Smith. The picture, painted by Josef Norris, shows a smiling Harvey looking down at his beloved Castro Street from a second floor window. The mural was completed in June of 1998.
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There is a bronze plaque embedded in the sidewalk in front of the building. It marks the site as the location of Harvey Milk's home and camera shop. Early in the year 2000, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved a resolution to assign "Historic Building" status to 575 Castro Street.
"You gotta give 'em hope!"
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HARVEY MILK PHOTOGRAPHIC TRIBUTE
On Sunday, May 21, 2006, Harvey's birthday, a permanent photographic tribute was unveiled at Harvey Milk Plaza at Market and Castro Streets. The exhibit consists of 11 photographs by 7 photographers. They are reproduced in porcelain enamel on 3 panels.
DAN NICOLETTA went to work at Castro Camera in 1975. He was 19 years old. He developed a close relationship with Milk and his partner Scott Smith. Dan is probably the best resource on Harvey Milk alive today and has dedicated himself to preserving Milk's legacy. Supervisor Bevan Dufty and Senator Carole Migden inaugurated this project, but it was Nicoletta who organized, contacted, planned, and guided the plan to its completion. Check out the DAN NICOLETTA GALLERY on this website.
STUART MILK is the son of Harvey's brother Robert. He has always been an activist and has taken on the role of spokesperson for the Milk family. Although he lives in Florida, he is becoming well known in San Francisco since he often appears at functions honoring his uncle. One need only look at his face to know that Stuart surely is closely related to Harvey Milk.
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Principal Speakers
LEFT STUART MILK
nephew of Harvey Milk
RIGHT
DAN NICOLETTA
project organizer
and photographer
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