City Lights Bookstore (Beat Generation landmark)

City Lights Bookstore was founded in 1953 by poet and publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti and became a central hub for the Beat Generation and small-press publishing. In 1957 City Lights published Allen Ginsberg's Howl and was the defendant in a landmark obscenity trial that concluded with a judge ruling the work had redeeming social importance. The store has continuously operated at its Columbus Avenue location since the 1950s and remains an active independent bookstore and publisher.