The Condor Club

"It sounds too ridiculous to be true: a club bouncer and his girlfriend having a late-night tryst are crushed by a piano. But it is true — and it’s just another piece of what makes the lore of the Condor Club so incredibly strange. The club’s fame went into the stratosphere with the arrival of Carol Doda in 1964. Her legendary bust (she was one of the first topless performers to increase her cup size with silicone injections) and dynamic personality made her one of America’s pioneering topless dancers. Soon, her likeness graced the building, and Condor Club and Carol Doda became synonymous. In 1984, the white piano that Doda stood on as she was lowered down from the ceiling turned into the stuff of urban legend. Club bouncer Jimmy Ferrozzo and his girlfriend were partaking in some after-hours enjoyment on the instrument when one of them triggered the piano to start moving back up. Ferrozzo asphyxiated, although his girlfriend survived. Today, the Condor Club — and all its many San Francisco quirks and tragedies — continues to watch over the corner of Broadway and Columbus, complete with Doda’s memorable likeness."