City Of San Rafael Historic Sites
711 Fourth Street - Positively Fourth Street
Positively Fourth Street, ca. 1976
In 1889, Thomas H. Nichols built a saloon here with living quarters upstairs. He had previously operated the German Hotel at 3rd & B St. The “N” on the stained-glass window in the front door stands for the Nichols Building. He died in San Francisco in 1918 after heading a wholesale liquor company in the City.
At one time it was called the Barrel House Café until it moved around the corner to Tamalpais Ave. in 1955.
In 1961 Ralph & Helen Gehring opened Hoagy’s Bar. According to Marin IJ reports at the time, it was a frequent location for violence and crime.
In 1973, it reopened as Positively Fourth Street by Tom Batch and Dan Campbell. According to the October 16, 1973 Marin Independent Journal, the saloon “sports fresh paint and remodeled interior, with emphasis on retaining the character of the pre-1900 structure.”
Positively Fourth Street, ca. 1976
In 2018, it opened as The Tavern on Fourth but closed within 4 years. In January 2024, the building that had housed a saloon for 135 years opened once again as the Ranch Water Bar.
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