it was a magnificent place in the old days, my old neighbor and I used to frequent it for the game room they had in the back. they had pinball machines, archaic video games etc.. I remember one time we were at the oak when there was some sort of biker brawl, pints of beer being smashed, chairs being broken etc.. it was out of control.. it was a funny place because on one hand you had these family people in there eating, the local herberts in the game room, and then you also had the biker crowd mixed in..
this place now is an empty building with a mezzanine built into it, which did not exist in the former times, probably to double the square footage so that it goes for a much higher price, probably the reason its been sitting forever.. it is located directly across from the united liquors.. Ill have to post the old advert for the black oak.. gotta scan it in first..
Going north on Magnolia in North Larkspur almost to Kentfield, just past the Swiss Garage there is a building that says Magnolia Place on the front. That was The Black Oak Saloon.
I think Magnolia Place was the name of the restaurant that came next, but it's been gone at least 15 years so whatever is in there is not a storefront of any kind.
My memories of Black Oak are '83-'85 so it was there for a decent run. I forget the year it closed.
Hi bruce, welcome to the site. I grew up in Stinson Beach, that was Arman Castro you played volleyball with at " the spot " on the beach, and that was Joe who lived up in the woods. You should go back on this site many pages, there all kinds of interesting posts that were done previously. Also you could try looking up all posts by me, Paul, your mind will be expanded by the good memories of all of us who were here at the time Marin WAS the center of the culture of the whole country, the best place in the world, and still is, as most of us are still here ! Enjoy.
One of my favorite hangouts in 1974-75 was the old Black Oak Saloon on the south side of Magnolia Avenue in Larkspur. I think the place opened in '73 or perhaps it was '74, but in any case, all of my old classmates from Redwood were by then legitimate adults of 21 or 22 years of age, and many gathered there for nighttime fun. I really don't remember if there was live music, I think there might have been occaisionally. I didn't go there a lot, but I was enough of a frequent patron that I saw a lot of familiar faces from my Redwood days. Many of the girls we went to school with were now stunningly beautiful 21 to 24 years old women, in the "flower of youth," and I ended up dated two or three girls I went to school with after seeing them again at the Black Oak. At the same time, I was hanging out with a small group of about ten different people at Stinson beach. My friends Chris Johnson and Herman Schwarz, who were also in the Redwood High class of '70 and I used to bike out the dipsea trail, play volleyball on the beach and bodysurf. We would stuff our fins and "spring suits" into our rucksacks and then take off from Mill Valley for some fun in the sun. Occaisionally we would go to the Parkside drive between sessions in the water for a hamburger and a shake. An older woman named Mamie owned the establishment for many years, and I remember she was always behind the grill, cooking up the burgers and giving us a friendly greeting. The burgers are still made "Mamie's Way" all these years later, and they're as good as any in Marin. Robin Williams, who I didn't know in high school (he was a year ahead of me) used to be one of our group, along with his low key friend, "Eric." Robin was a fascinating guy. Very articulate and reflective, he gave no indication to me of having that wonderful comic talent that would later bring him fame and fortune. He was working at the Trident in Sausalito as a dishwasher that summer, dating a mysterious (he never told us her name) blonde girl that he was desperately in love with, and getting ready that fall of '74 to begin studies at Julliard in New York City. Robin, or "Rob" as he liked to be called them, said he wanted to be a serious stage actor, and he seemed to have the temperment for it. I actually taught him how to bodysurf that summer, and many years later I went and saw him at a concert in San Francisco (about 1982) and I went backstage to say hi. I was surprised he not only remembered me but let out a big laugh because he recalled that Chris and Herman and I always hiked to the beach, and he thought that was kind of crazy ! Anyway...I digress, That summer...the summer of '74 was one of my favorites because I was out of school, but hadn't started my career yet, and Stinson Beach, the Black Oak Saloon, the hills of Tiburon, Mt Tam, Pt Reyes; these were all my favorite haunts that long ago season. Three distinct characters I also remember from Stinson of that time: a long haired older guy (probably in his late 30s) whom we refered to a "Jesus" berause he had a beard and long hair that made him look like the prophet, (I was later told that he was one of the first "homeless " people in Marin and that he had his own little camping area under some tree, up the hill not far from town...he lived for many more years..I even saw him as late at the early 1990s!) a french fellow named Arman, who played volleyball with us, swore like a sailor in a thick french accent! and finally, a young kid of about 14 named Mark, who followed us around and was kind of like our mascot. His family had owned Ed's Superette for many years until the 1970s. Good memories though...the warm sun, nice waves, the beautiful hike on the dipsea, the good friends at the Black Oak, lots of pretty girls, Robin Williams, my best friends Herm and Chris, and a last summer of no responsibility! Life was good!
