SAN FRANCISCO COMMUNE: The Red Victorian, My photos and experiences

So last spring I got to take a really cool class that involved a final research project where each student worked with a different commune in the Bay Area to create a living archive. Our goal was to help the local communes consolidate a body of information about their way of life, inception, goals, and many other things so that if and when their commune no longer existed a record would continue to exist as a source of reference for others hoping to start an intential living community.

The Red Victorian is located in the Upper Haight District. The building itself was built in 1904 as a bed and breakfast/community space, first named the Jefferson Hotel. According to some reports, it may or may not have been a brothel. In 1967 it became Jeffrey Haight, and remained a regular meeting space for revolutionaries, artists, and travelers. Sami Sunchild, an environmental and social activist, bought the hotel in 1977, painted the facade red, and renamed it the Red Victorian. Her intention with the space was to promote the peace movement, the environmental movement, the cooperative community movement, and the social justice movement. Every Sunday until her death in 2013 she hosted World Peace Conversations in the community space on the first floor of the building. The Red Victorian was purchased in 2014, and the Red Victorian, LLC was established as a new project to experiment with co-living and new methods of urban community development.

Image: The Silkroad Truckers performs every Friday night in the first floor common space, which any group or organization is able to use free of charge for their events.

The Red Victorian has outlined 5 key points to their Vision and Mission on their website: Collaboration, Participation, and Do-ing, Accountable Space, ‘Yes means yes’, Sex Positivity, and Alternative Justice.

Collaboration, Participation, and Do-ing: The Red Vic operates mainly off of a ‘Do-ocracy’ model, a term that comes up quite often in communal living spaces. Members and guests are encouraged to “act out of independence and empowerment”. All are encouraged to make the space their own and participate when able, as well as maintain the space for others by leaving things better than they were found.

Accountable Space: The Red Victorian aims to bring together people of all backgrounds and experiences to encourage the personal growth of all. Members and guests are encouraged to “make no assumptions about others, and enter with an open heart and mind”. Everyone is encouraged to be self-reflective in this process. Non-Violent Communication, a communication process based on the principles of empathy and honest self-expression, is actively practiced in the space.

‘Yes means yes’: The Red Victorian has an Affirmative Consent policy. Affirmative Consent in the context of physical contact (of any kind) requires verbal, explicit, enthusiastic, and ongoing consent from the other party. Coerced consent is a consent violation at the Red Victorian.

Sex Positivity: The space is meant to celebrate sexual diversity, different desires and relationship structures and individual choices, founded in mutual enthusiastic consent.

Alternative Justice: Anyone accused of wrong-doing will be asked to leave the space. “We uphold the principles of restorative justice as a way for both victims/targets/survivors of abuse of all forms, to have their needs for communication and dialogue met, as well as attempting to create space for perpetrators/accused to reflect on their behavior.”

Images: These photos show the rehearsal/hang out space that has been crafted out of the historic cellar below the building. To get to this room, you need to lift a hatch and climb down a ladder!

Membership is in relatively constant fluctuation, with people moving in and out every few months or so. Some people may live at the Red Victorian for years, while others for extended stays of a few months at a time. Most long-term residents at the Red Victorian live in single rooms of various sizes. Most residents make under $100,000 a year, with professions as designers, scientists, artists, writers, lawyers, technologists, musicians, and philosophers. To become a member, anyone can apply via the form on the Embassy Network website. It is encouraged that applicants spend time in the space and with the community before applying, if possible. It is relatively simple to become a member in terms of procedure.

Images: These photos highlight the private room of my host, Eric.

In terms of the relationships between housemates, people are friendly and warm to one-another. The community supports one another, doing the emotional labor that one might consider to be traditionally done in a romantic relationship between partners. For this reason, many residents do not have serious romantic partnerships because they feel emotionally fulfilled by the tight-knit community at the commune. Residents have been known to collaborate on endeavours of all shapes and forms, from personal to professional to public service.

The Red Victorian community is very comfortable with outsiders, and incredibly welcoming. There are guests in the space so often that residents may not ask where a guest is from or what they are doing. If they do happen to ask, it is always in a curious nature and never in a way that suspects suspicion or anxiety. Guests are strongly encouraged to attend events and interact with the longer term housemates. Guests may be friends of housemates, visitors from other communes, or hotel guests staying for the weekend. Regardless of your reasoning for being at the Red Victorian, the community welcomes you as one of its own.

Images: Another private room, the room of the singer for the band The Silkroad Truckers.

In my personal experience, I felt very comfortable and always welcome. The first point of contact was a little hard to establish over email, but once we were connected via text I was able to ask my contact for permission to come visit the same day I intended to visit, and still have a bed to sleep in. Residents did not seem put off by my presence. They were receptive to my questions and interested in learning about my research. One day, when I requested to come over for research, I was informed that the entire commune would be taking a weekend trip to Guerneville, and I was invited to come along! I respectfully and woefully declined, but I feel that experience is representative of the kind of welcome afforded to guests and friends of the Red Victorian.

If you ever find yourself in San Francisco, I would highly reccommend stopping by the Red Victorian just to experience the community there! They are officially a hotel, and you can easily reserve a room (or a bed in a room) online for relatively cheap by San Francisco standards. My experience there was quite wonderful, and I hope to stop by again sometime soon.

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