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This historic building, constructed in 1864 by Wells Fargo, has evolved into one of the most popular Pizza Restaurants in the entire bay area.
There were ten rooms upstairs occupied by Wells Fargo travelers while the bottom floor serviced the small town with their banking needs. The now wine cellar was built as part of the underground tunnel system by Chinese immigrants who had been working on the railroads at the time. For convenience and keeping a low profile, the tunnel ran from Gay 90's to the Pleasanton Hotel that had various exits along the way to better accommodate their needs with the other local businesses. |
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Soon after, the ten rooms upstairs became what we all know as a brothel (gentlemen's quarters). In or around 1950, the building became a local sprits establishment called "The Blue Goose." To better serve their customers, the owners began serving chili, beans, and spaghetti on the weekends. The idea of serving food on the weekend became overwhelming. Soon pre-made Pizza's were brought in and they were selling Pizza by the slice. In 1959, a small Pizza oven was purchased to keep up with the demands for Pizza. Business begins to Boom and The Blue Goose Bar becomes "Gay 90's Pizza." The first and only Pizza parlor in Pleasanton or it's surrounding areas. |
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Today, the Pizza here at Gay 90's is unique. Everything is made from scratch, from hand pounded sourdough crust (slow aged), sauces, dressings, and soups.
Our Franks Special Pizza (named after one of the previous owners) has been known to induce labor. Long before Robert and Suzanne Earnest purchased the restaurant in 1984, the phenomenon has assisted many Ladies with their delinquent pregnancies. The restaurant is frequently visited by Pregnant Ladies who are overdue. Often these Ladies will begin labor the very next day or even as they're walking out the door. Nobody knows why, however people have witnessed and experienced it. Perhaps it's the ingredients that make it possible. Frank's Special, one of the restaurants most popular Pizza's, consist of sourdough crust with pepperoni, linguisa, ham, sausage, salami, bell peppers, onions, olives, and mushrooms. "BOO, Its Haunted!" That's right, many locals, and people just passing by, have reported a lady in a Victorian blue dress, peering out the window from the upstairs apartment. The once ten room Wells Fargo stop and one time Brothel have been converted into a two-bedroom apartment that now consists of office space. Strange and unexplainable events have taken place as witnessed by the owner, who spent much of his time doing work. On several different occasions, Rob Earnest has witnessed the Lady in a blue Victorian dress. Always a brief encounter, enough time for her to make eye contact and vanish into thin air. After hours on one particular day, both Rob and his Golden Lab "Charlie" came into the restaurant to take care of some unfinished business. Unlike previous visits, Charlie seemed apprehensive. Once in the Restaurant, Charlie with his hair standing straight up, began barking at the mirror. When Rob looked up at the mirror, he witnessed the word "BOO" being scribed in the mirror, by what appeared to be some ones finger wet with saliva. The strange phenomenon can not be removed from the mirror. You can still see the "BOO" in the mirror today. People who visit the restaurant just to see the mysterious "BOO" end up ordering pizza, and always come back for more! |
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Story Contributed by Monique Beeler, Jennifer Carnig, and Chad Jones contributed to this report.
The Gay ‘90s Pizza Co. of Pleasanton lures crowds in with its sourdough pizza crust and handmade pasta. But one persistent guest refuses to leave. Glance up at the second floor windows at the right moment and a pair of spectral eyes may peer back at you. Through the years, patrons and passersby have reported spotting through the window an apparition in a blue Victorian style gown. Built around 1890, the building originally served as a Wells Fargo bank downstairs with the upstairs bedrooms reserved for business travelers. Within a few years, however, the top floor took on a new purpose as “gentlemen’s quarters,” or a brothel. By the 1950s, the site had become a bar and restaurant. Gay ‘90s owner Rob Earnest bought the business in 1984. Before the purchase, he’s heard stories about paranormal happenings at the restaurant. It didn’t take long for Earnest to meet the lady of the house, reputed to be the former bordello’s madam. When Earnest was living in the apartment above the pizza parlor he invited his son and parents over to celebrate Christmas. As Earnest recalls: “My little boy said, ‘Daddy, who’s that lady?’ ” |
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Turning toward the corner of the room, Earnest says he and his parents spied a woman “as clearly as you or me” standing at the window looking down on Main Street. Then, glancing over her shoulder, she turned to face her observers. “She had a big smile on her face,” says Earnest, who estimates the voluptuous woman was in her 40s. “She was dressed how you would picture a saloon dance hall girl. There was a lot of cleavage showing and a feather boa around her neck. Her hair was big and curly.” “We just stared with our mouths hanging open, then she turned around and vanished,” he says.
Earnest and his employers have encountered the mischievous spirit many times since. Once, while stopping by with his dog when the restaurant was closed, Earnest says his normally calm pet became frantic. With the hair on his back raised, the dog barked at a wall mirror near the women’s restroom door. In the center of the mirror, the word “boo” appeared -- once horizontally and again vertically. Attempts to wipe traces of the word away have failed. Aside from played pranks, the Gay 90s’ resident ghost causes no problems, says the dumbfounded restaurant owner. “ I don’t have any theory,” Earnest says. “I just don’t know if it is because they’re unhappy and can’t get where they’re going or they were happy here” and don’t want to leave. |
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