An arson fire closed the original restaurant in 2013, and it never reopened. [19], In the mid-1980s, the club was frequented by local residents such as poet Walt Curtis[20] and Courtney Love, the latter of whom met friend and bandmate Kat Bjelland there in 1984[3][14] through The Miracle Workers' frontman Gerry Mohr. More tasty memories: 84 closed Portland restaurants we wish were still around. In mid-'80s, it was the launchpad for groups like Nu Shooz, Quarterflash, and artists like Kenny G and Robert Cray, who would go on to fame and big record deals. 14. The Crystal Ballroom and Roseland Theater attract all genres of current and pop music acts to Portlands downtown, while the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall hits the classics by hosting performances by the Oregon Symphony, Portland Opera, and Oregon Ballet Theater. Sunset doesnt end the fun in this quaint town. It was totally unique to Portland., Jimmy Maks rose to become Portlands premier jazz club along with the economic and demographic changes of its Pearl District neighborhood, Dietsche says. Satyricon was a nightclub in the Old Town neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, United States that operated from 1984 to 2010.It was the longest-running punk venue in the western United States, and has been referred to by some journalists and historians as the "CBGB of the West Coast." It is also the place where musicians Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love are said to have first met. They offer a large vegan menu, plus wine, craft beer and unique craft cocktails that focus on products from local and regional distilleries. The club moved to its NW Broadway location in 1979. In his weekend best pulled together from Material Objects, 25-year-old Sid Tripp locks the door of his Exchange Street apartment at the Old Port Arms and heads down to see what the rest of Portland has been doing since Friday. No other city had such an odd and interesting place. You can see a PSU student production about the events of the protest in a 30 minute video below: In November of 1970 there was a bombing outside the Portland City Hall of the Liberty Bell replica. If you grew up in the 80s, you certainly don't remember the Oregon Convention Center being there. Related:"In Wake of Jimmy Mak's Closure, New Jazz Club Will Open in Basement of Rialto. 14 Atwaters (1990s) 37th floor of US Bank Building. You will certainly remember one of our most colorful mayors, Bud Clark, who was in office from 1985 through 1992. A portion of net proceeds for the St. Patricks event will be donated directly to the Childrens Cancer Association. Many have forgotten, but for a few decades after World War II, Portland was a well-known hub for black music on the West Coast. The Jack London Revue Brothers Michael and Richard Sullivan are seen enjoying crab cocktails in this 2001 photo. In 1953, the Gold Camp Room opened in downtown, and was designed to look like an old-time saloon. The nightly shows atDarcelle XV are also good for a laugh. Every day from 3 to 6 p.m., find $9 prime rib French dips, $7 Louisiana-style hot wings, and a $9 lounge burger with fries alongside Old Fashions and martinis. In town or planning your visit and need some advice? The Harbor Club, which was located at the corner of Southwest First Avenue and Yamhill Street from 1948 to 1964, was one of the more-colorful drinking establishments when the waterfront area was still a place where U.S. Navy ships regularly docked. Recording its popular public radio program in front of Portland audiences, Live Wire stitches together sketch comedy, music, and confessionals in a variety show format. According to The Oregonian, materials from seven different countries were used to decorate the club, which cost $25,000 to build. Crowds for live music dwindled, and Caf Vivo closed in 1993. 1. Situated in the historic Mississippi District, Prost! If you grew up in Portland in the 80s, you likely remember when the area now dubbed Portland's Living Room was just a parking lot. White Owl Social Club is a bar, restaurant, music venue and event space in Portlands Central Eastside. Saturdays are when the 1980s to 2000s music is featured. But many of the suggestions were classic drinking spots that were a part of old Portland. Its location gives the club a historical feel coupled with the eclectic mix of the very best modern equipment and gear. In the 1950s, the Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board placed the bar off limits to servicemen for matters of hygiene. It was military code for businesses that catered to a gay clientele. In the decades that followed, he saw the neighborhood change, including times of rising crime and gentrification. York was born in Russia during the age of the Czars, and came to North America in 1909 to work as a tailor. Its success was also due to music policy and management by [the late] owner Jim Makarounis, and the internationally known club was famed for hosting drummer Mel Browns groups three nights a week. First opened as The Mural Room in 1947, the club became the Jazz Quarry in the late 1970s, and featured regular performances by many local musicians, including local singer Lloyd Fletcher, seen here in 1984 in front of a mural of jazz legend Charlie Parker. [26], Commenting on the various stories and lore surrounding the club, journalist Zach Dundas wrote: "The written record of the club's existencewhich can amount to no more than 1 percent of the Whole Truthis a florid tale of excess, controversy, creative chaos. The space was later converted to a health club, and is currently vacant. East Burnsides iconic Doug Fir is known for live shows in the lounge downstairs, hearty brunch and generous dinner plates enjoyed in the mid-century meets log-cabin dining room. Whether you're looking for a relaxing night with friends, a high-energy dance party or a drag show, Portland delivers. [7], Satyricon was founded by George Touhouliotis, a former taxi driver who acquired Marlena's Tavern in 1983. Famous visitorsincluded Madonna and Henry Rollins. They were booking national and international acts, and people were coming from all over to see artists like Oscar Peterson. The first floor of the building housed Slaughters pool hall, where many people got their first taste of jazz. At its height in the mid 90s, Embers was pumping out drag shows seven nights a week. More tasty memories: 84 closed Portland restaurants we wish were still around. Film flashback: 31 movie theaters from Portland's golden age. There's always something funny happening in Portland. But come the weekend, Dixie transforms to a place bubbling place with a wild and frenzied atmosphere. Join Portland's club kids most nights for laser lights, EDM and some of the best dancing in town. This large center located in the Lloyd District was completed in 1989 and opened the following year. This downtown caf and cardroom opened on Southwest Sixth Avenue in the 1950s, and continued to operate until it was displaced by the development of the downtown transit mall in the 1970s. Among reader suggestions for beloved closed bars and taverns were some that The Oregonian never took images of (or at least none that made it into our digital archive of historic photos). Introduction. A former firehouse, it changed hands and was known as Remos, and then, in the early 2000s, resurfaced as a jazz club called Touch.. At the same time, it looks unfinished, like someone decided to remodel, ripped up a few boards and then totally slacked off. In the 1970s, this downtown nightclub billed itself as "Portland's Original Environmental Tavern." It closed in 1996, and became the now-closed Rose & Raindrop pub. In 1984, there was no Pearl District, no River District, no Chinese Garden, no MAX. The large Mayfair operation included the Mayfair Lanes bowling alley. The City of Roses boasts one of the best tango communities outside of Buenos Aires, with dances and lessons available almost every night. The Oregonian took note of the diverse musical offerings: "A French guitarist one night gives way to traditional Irish or Spanish music the next. IMAGE: Thomas Teal. As striking as the building was, it was doomed by progress it was demolished when connecting ramps from Interstate 405 to Highway 26 were built. Decadent '80s | Portland OR It officially closed in November 2010, and the building in which it was located was demolished in July 2011. The public was dissatisfied with the way the Marquam Bridge looked, so the Portland Art Commission helped design the new Fremont Bridge. Sewickly's, a Hawthorn District cafe and bar that served breakfast all day. Now, it's time that we enter the inner sanctum, the stage area. Trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire playing Jimmy Mak's in 2014. In the 1970s and '80s, this Beaverton bar was a popular spot for disco dancing and live music. The owner in the 1960s was rumored to have connections to the Las Vegas mob, and the card room became the focus of vice squad investigations into illegal gambling (and an internal police investigation into whether vice officers looked the other way at some of Dunkins Retreats shadier practices). This Southwest Portland bar started out as a stagecoach stop in the 1870s, and was a popular suburban pit-stop until its closing a few years ago. In a profile in The Oregonian, Tucker said that serving drinks was a pleasant way to make a living, though the skimpy outfit sometimes drew unwanted roving hands. The bar, housed in a one-time silent movie theater, had a small-town vibe, with wood-paneled walls, neon beer signs and a cast of friendly regulars. They ranged from gritty dives like North Portland's Blow Fly Inn, which catered to blue-collar workers, to posh cocktail spots like Northwest's Brazen Bean, where trendy young people gathered for elaborate sips and cigars. If you grew up in the 80s, you certainly don't remember the Oregon Convention Center being there. Having been home to many talents making waves all around the country, Darcelle XV gives you a chance to experience a one-of-a-kind display of glitz, pageantry, and luxurious cross-dressing by a talented bunch of guys-cum-ladies. Address: 529 SW 4th Ave, Portland, OR 97204, USA, Opening hours: Fri - Sun: 8pm - 12am; Mon: 7pm - 10pm; Wed: 8pm - 12am; Thu: 7pm - 12am (closed on Tue). And if you've got a photo of the long-lost bar to share, you can e-mail it to gbutler@oregonian.com, and we'll share it in a future story. This 1940 photo shows the interior of Marko's Moonlight Inn, a tavern and card room on West Burnside Street and Northwest Fifth Avenue. ". This Southwest 14th Avenue tavern was a neighborhood favorite in the 1950s and 60s, and featured a modern design that distinguished it from other buildings. It was "Dear Friend" by Flying Color. Some of Portlands most destination-worthy bars just happen to be attached to some of the coolest hotels in town. Perched on a great location in town, enjoy a truly local experience in the city drinking home-brewed beers, playing pool or pinball games, dancing to the music, or just enjoying the comedy dished out at this fantastic lounge. requires no physical fitness program: Everyone gets enough exercise jumping to conclusions, flying off the handle, running down the boss, knifing friends in the back, dodging responsibility and pushing their luck. '' The Blow Fly would continue to operate into the 1990s. Touhouliotis reshaped the tavern into a nightclub, and named it after the 1969 Federico Fellini film of the same name. 13 The Jazz de'Opus (1970s-2003) NW 3rd and Couch. But times change and so does the city. Sanctuary Club hosts a wide variety of several sex-themed parties with even private rooms provided. Young, Gifted and Brown Fosters Community Through Dance in Portland. You have to be above the age of 21 to be allowed access into this club. He was cute, he was attractive, and he was funny Everyone always writes that the song that was playing [on the jukebox] was Living Colour, but that wasn't it. The bar was a popular spot with patrons of the many movie houses that were located nearby. The downtown restaurant space that has been home to Higgins Restaurant for decades was called The Broadway Inn in the 1950s and 60s, and featured murals by acclaimed Oregon painter Louis Bunce. It included tracks from local punk acts such as Poison Idea, Dharma Bums and Napalm Beach. 750 were here. An exciting and ever bubbling nightclub in this fantastic city, CC Slaughter is a place of everlasting fun. Nothing topped the Dude Ranch, Dietsche says. Collage by Grant Butler, The Oregonian/OregonLive. That campaign led to an investigation of the bar by the OLCC, which was concerned that visibly intoxicated people were still being served alcohol. The O'Callahan's chain filed for bankruptcy in 1989, though the Beaverton location continued operating as Paddy O'Callahan's under different ownership. Sanctuary is a booming, safe, and clean club for interaction with free-minded people. [2] The marquee above the club's entrance was believed to have been either stolen or destroyed in the demolition process, as it remained unaccounted for. Back then it was a contrast in conservative ways, and a growing youth culture focused on self fulfillment. During World War II, Americans became obsessed with Polynesian culture. Owner Jack York was blind, but in a 1951 Oregonian feature said he remembered regular customers by the sound of their voices. From stand-up comedy to improv or even comedy classes Portland has any kind of comedy you may be looking for. Terrika performed two signature numbers: one with a Marry Poppins theme involving a naughty spoon full of sugar and another act that revolved around spanking people with a cricket bat to sweet dreams by Annie Lennox. The club offers a relaxed and fun environment for people that believe in alternate lifestyles, LGBTQ+ communities, and sexually empowered and curious individuals to party, meet up, and even hook up. This bar in the Uptown Shopping Center in Northwest Portland was a hot-spot for live blues and folk music in the 1980s and early '90s. In the late 80s, patrons of Embers salvaged two of the Gargoyle faces from the rubble of Portlands Orpheum Theater demolition to display in Embers show bar. ", Northeast 24th Avenue and Sandy Boulevard. Cocktails are $2 off during happy hour. The owner of the bar, John Johnny Boston Runstein, was celebrated for raising money for charity. Easily one of the most fun nightclubs in Portland! But Nirvana was obviously playing. Cover Band & 80s Band from Poulsbo, WA (154 miles from Portland, OR) Soul Siren is the Northwest's Premier Party Band. Heres a long-running watering hole with an unlikely origin story. Hawthornes colorful Cuban restaurant, Cubo, has happy hour specials from 3 to 6 p.m. and 9 to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursday, with $6 daiquiris and mojitos, $4 pints of beer, and Cubanos with plantains for just $7. Badlands, a gay dance club chainbased out of the Bay Area, purchased the building Embers was housed in and offered new jobs to all the Embers staff. These Portland bars and restaurants keep their kitchens open late, serving high-quality food into the night. 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