This venue shaped Marin’s music scene for 50+ years

In partnership with

Spearheaded by Fred Martin and a group called Sweetwater of Mill Valley Inc., the original Sweetwater was opened in 1972.

It was located at 153 Throckmorton, just to the west closer to Old Mill Park, occupying a former saloon called The Office. This 90-seat venue with stage immediately attracted crowds along with renowned musicians.

In 1979, Jeanie Patterson and her then-husband Jay took over the Sweetwater from Fred Martin. By 1980, Jeanie took over running the club. Patterson was known for “transforming the venue into one of the country's most respected showcases for American roots music”. This small venue was cherished by some of the biggest names in the music industry including Elvis Costello, Huey Lewis, Ritchie Havens, Bonnie Raitt, Jerry Garcia, Sammy Hagar, and Carlos Santana – to name a few.

The venue was sold to Thomas and Becky Steere when Jeanie retired at the end of 1998. The Sweetwater closed in 2007 for several years. It returned in 2012 in it’s new and current location: the Masonic Lodge No. 356 on Corte Madera Avenue. After the Pandemic, the venue was preserved as the Sweetwater Music Hall, Inc. which serves as a non-profit arts organization (this group includes Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead). 

History Lives on: The legacy of the original Sweetwater continues to live through the Mill Valley Public Library. After Jeanie Patterson passed away in 2019, the Lucretia Little History Room received Jeanie’s detailed scrapbooks (71 of them!) that chronicle the history of the club. In addition to the scrapbooks, the collection includes letters, postcards and photographs documenting Patterson's friendships with the musicians who were a part of the Sweetwater over the years. 

Today’s Marin History section is courtesy of Lane Dooling of the Marin History Museum. Thank you!

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It sounds great to build a house, but in reality it is just too many decisions. Too many approvals. Too long a process.

So when I saw this partially completed house in Sausalito, I thought it was a good idea. They bought a lot, put $1M of work into it, and are selling it now for the buyer to finish.

Here is the Google Street View from March:

I’m unclear what state the project is in, and how much will be done for the price tag. Perhaps this approach to selling a new build is more complicated than it needs to be. But for the right person who wants to customize the finishes and have a quick project, I thought this was worth sharing!

Check it out:

Zillow link

Thanks for reading. We will be back with the regular events and activities email Wednesday morning!

— Allison + Brian