Per article in the newspaper Northwest Gay Review, June 1977 written by W Holman “A Gay History – lest it be forgotten” sheds may stories on various bars, “Not far from The Harbor’s bolted doors was Dahl & Penne’s. The working man’s bar had stood on its resent decaying pinnings for decades, a landmark on Portland’s busy waterfront. [further in the article page 6] Before The Harbor closed, D & P was not unknown. Its long bar assumed invisible partitions: the “invaders” used one end, the “regulars” the other. Gradually, there were no others nor any partitions. Those who remained found the invaders a fun group and paid little attention to their strange conversations and antics; those who were bothered by the writing on the wall, bot in and out of the john, found other traps.

Inside D & P’s, new layers of paint began covering antiquated wallpaper and dingy, worn-out paint as management endeavored to improve the building’s inside appearance and general mein. The city, ever eager for more money, look – and found – addition sources for revenue by taxing sewage connections. Painting stopped immediately and three of the five urinals in the men’s crapper were ceremoniously ripped form the walls and their connections permanently capped. The result was a spacious coziness. The remains was a hall large enough for a dance floor, with two urinals and three porcelain cups with lids- or two with temperamental faucets and frequently empty towel dispensers.”

Per the GLAPN - A Walking Tour of Downtown Portland: A Century of Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Historic Sites June 1999: Opened in 1898 near the Waterfront, this working man’s eatery didn’t begin Dahl & Penne Tavern, 604 SW Second Ave. In 1972, two Californians, Sammy and Gene Landaner, a straight married couple came to town and purchased the D & P. Within a short time they had fixed up the grand old lady of Second Avenue, and with the help of Van Richards (Vanessa) a local hair stylist cum drag entertainer, the bar really took off staging popular drag shows and becoming the host tavern for the Imperial Rose Court. The room in the back where the drag shows took place was affectionately referred to as the “Royal Flush Corral.” In the 1970s the Oregon legislature passed a law that allowed gambling by non-profit organizations and Dahl & Penne’s became one of three bars licensed in the city to conduct gambling. The house could not take any profit-all proceeds had to go directly to the nonprofit organization. Thus began D & P’s tradition of fund raising for local charities. In 1983 the Dahl & Penne closed down, another victim of Portland’s urban renewal. The Bank of America Building now sits on its site.

Portland seems to have had a more wide-open attitude towards its gay and lesbian citizens as indicated by the complete lack of bar raids over the past four decades. Other indications from first person accounts suggest that the city wasn’t just a good place for gays to live, but perhaps even more tolerant than San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. in the pre-Stonewall years. One man who grew up in Portland, remembers living at the YMCA in the years 1958-59. He mentions that there were three gay bars (that he knew of) in Portland, and that about that time Portland started having male go-go dancers. He notes, “I was in a bar one night when some were arrested. They weren’t completely… they were just down to their G-strings, but they were still raiding it. Of course, two or three years after that, they were taking it all off and not getting arrested. That but they were still raiding it. There was one theater that had gay films and go-go dancers. As long as they stayed on stage, they didn’t arrest them. They got to coming out in the audience nude and they did bust the theater a couple of times.” (from Issues: An Olympia Gay/lesbian Forum, December 1983, Page one interview)” [obtained copy from Oregon Historical Society – page 11/12 is where the interview is printed – part Portland part Olympia, Washington].

DAHL & PENNE

Dahl & Penne - was workingman’s bar located downtown at Southwest Second Avenue and Alder Street opened in the 1890s and continued until the 1980s. It featured a newsstand and a licensed card room – one of the few places where gambling was allowed. In the 1960s, the bar became a part of the city’s underground gay night scene, and in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, it was recognized as the bar/business of the year several times by the Imperial Rose Court for its showroom where drag shows were staged.

Dahl & Penne Tavern, 604 S.W. Second. Opened in 1898 near the Waterfront, this working man’s eatery didn’t begin to develop a gay clientele until much later, some say around 1962. The gay crowd usually predominated between 1:00 and 2:30 a.m. Then in 1972, two Californians, Sammy and Gene Landauer, a straight married couple came to town and purchased the D & P. Within a short time, they had fixed up the tavern and, with the help of Van Richards (Vannessa), a local hair stylist cum drag entertainer, the bar really took off, staging popular drag shows and becoming the host tavern for the Imperial Rose Court. The room in the back where the drag shows took place was affectionately referred to as the “Royal Flush Corral.” In the 1970s, the Oregon legislature passed a law that allowed gambling by non-profit organizations and Dahl & Penne’s became one of three bars licensed in the city to conduct gambling. The house could not take any profit; all proceeds had to go directly to the non-profit organization. Thus began D & P’s tradition of fundraising for local charities. In 1983, the Dahl & Penne closed down, another victim of Portland’s urban renewal. The Bank of America Building now sits on its site.

Opened in 1898 near the Waterfront, this working man’s eatery didn’t begin to develop a gay clientele until much later, some say around 1962. The gay crowd usually predominated between 1:00 and 2:30 a.m.

Per personal account from Walter W Cole/Darcelle XV, “After I closed the tavern (Demas) around 1 pm and before I headed home in SE Portland, I would go down to this bar Dahl & Penne. That’s where I met Roc Neuhardt.” Walter purchased Demas Tavern in 1967, Roc Neuhardt came to Portland as a featured dancer for the Hoyt Hotel’s Gracie Hansen’s Roaring 20s Room in 1966. It appears that the statement “The gay crowd usually predominated between 1:00 and 2:30 am” is true.

Per the GLAPN archives memorialize a late-night scene there starting around 1962. Per Walter Cole/Darelle, “The door would open and, whoever you were, you just walked in. The police and officials just left them alone — there weren’t raids or that sort of thing.” [https://www.pdxmonthly.com/newsand-city-life/2018/05/in-1964-portland-tried-to-crack-down-on-the-city-s-gay-scene-here-s-whathappened]

Per an article that has not been cited, “Then in July 1972, two Californians, Sammy and Gene Landauer, a straight married couple came to town and purchased the D & P. Sam had managed a bar for two years before finding out about that the Dahl and Penne was up for sale.”

Within a short time, they had fixed up the tavern. Per an interview: “After we took inventory, we couldn’t believe the horrible shape it was in. We began to fix it up immediately.” And the new look brought the gay crowd in at all hours and so D & P changed with the times. With the opening of the bar by Sam and Gene, Van Richards (Vanessa) became involved. Van had never stepped foot into D &P’s as, according to Van it had “a terrible reputation as far as I was concerned.” Mama Bernice called Van and told him that some new people had bought D & Penne’s and that they wanted someone to do a drag show for their opening. He was little hesitant, but how could he resist when Mama Bernice said “Do it for me, honey.” Van consented and later Sammy called Van at his beauty salon and asked him if he was willing to do the show that very night. Van answered yes and said he’d be down that afternoon to check out the facilities, sound equipment, etc. Van walked in, asked for Sam, found out she wasn’t in, but was told that Gene was. So he went over to the office to talk to Gene. “My name is Van and I’m doing your drag show. Tonight.” He didn’t know Van and couldn’t possibly comprehend how Van could do a drag show for him. With a look of utter disappointment, Gene showed Van around and made the arrangements for those nights shows were originally held in the front room as the room now used for the shows used to be a card room and storage area in the back. According to Sam, the card players were always here playing seven days a week until January of this year. The card player who “ran this room for 20 years passed away in January, so the old timers who played here just kind of drifted off.” So closed a chapter of Portland history.

However, a new chapter has opened up with the new show bar and gambling palace, one might say. A new law passed recently by the Oregon legislature, allows for gambling by non-profit organizations and D & P’s is one of only three bars licensed in the city to conduct gambling. They now hold gambling parties once a month for any organization that would like to raise some money. The house cannot take any of the profits - all proceeds go directly to the non-profit organization sponsoring the gambling party. This is just one way in which D &P’s is helping Portland’s gay community. With the help of Van Richards (Vanessa), a local hair stylist cum drag entertainer, the bar really took off, staging popular drag shows and becoming the host tavern for the Imperial Rose Court. The room in the back where the drag shows took place was affectionately referred to as the “Royal Flush Corral”. In the 1970s, the Oregon legislature passed a law that allowed gambling by non-profit organizations and Dahl & Penne’s became one of three bars licensed in the city to conduct gambling. The house could not take any profit; all proceeds had to go directly to the non-profit organization. Thus began D & P’s tradition of fundraising for local charities.

Sam recalls the time that/Three Dog Night came in.

It seems that the manager of the famous rock group walked into D & P’s, went up to the bartender, who happened to be Van, and asked, “What’s the hot gay spot in town tonight.” Well, it was a Monday night and the only hot spot in Portland on A Monday night is a stove’s top burner. That the man was Ron Berry, manager of Three Dog Night. Van, after a quick moment of reflection, said “Well, I think I could pack the bar if you were going to bring them down.” The manager agreed and as he left Van noticed that he got into a big, black chauffeured limousine and so he probably wasn’t pulling Van’s leg.

Van got on the phone at about 5:30, rounded up some entertainers for a special show, got tele-a-queen phone information service in operation and by 11 o’clock the place was packed save for one table up front reserved for Three Dog Night. The show started at 11:00 but there was no Three Dog Night. 11:15 – still no show, 11:30 – Three Dog Night had still not arrived. At 11:45, Van had just started a number when everybody in the place rose up to get a look at Three Dog Night as they walked in and took their places. Van finished his number then said, “In honor of you, hit it Rick” and Van did Three Dog Night’s big hit “Joy to the World”. Van looked at the group, who had really gotten off on it, and then said, “Now that you’ve heard Lynn Anderson’s version of ‘Joy to the World’, everybody can sit back and relax and hear Three Dog Night’s version. The record was put on and to everyone’s surprise Chuck Negron, their lead singer, jumped on stage and did it live along with the record. The audience went wild. It was truly a night to remember.”

On Sunday, December 11, 1983, a party “FINAL PERFORMANCE” was held, another victim of Portland’s urban renewal as the building was torn down and The Bank of America Building now sits on its site.

Dahl & Penne was a workingman’s bar located downtown at Southwest Second Avenue and Alder Street opened in the 1890s and continued until the 1980s. It featured a newsstand and a licensed card room – one of the few places where gambling was allowed. In the 1960s, the bar became a part of the city’s underground gay night scene, and in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, it was recognized as the bar/business of the year several times by the Imperial Rose Court for its showroom where drag shows were staged.

FROM THE NATIONAL REGISTER NOMINATION: Dahl & Penne was a Portland bar from 1914 that transitioned into a gay bar in the early 1960s, with a back-room drag performance space called the Royal Flush Room. Located on SW 2nd and Alder, it was one of the anchors of the “dirty triangle” or “gay triangle” in the 1960s to mid-1980s Portland. Its proprietors, Sami, and Gene Landauer were especially beloved in the Portland gay community, and the backroom and drag shows there were run by The Vanessa, a dancer, hairstylist, and decorator. Early drag shows were mostly lip-synch performances, but the gay community showed up in force on Sundays for brunch, and for “Sunday Mass,” where waiters on roller skates dressed as nuns. Vanessa (Van Richards) was crowned Regent Empress XIII in 1971 when coronation events were still twice-yearly. Unlike the Dahl & Penne, which provided backroom drag shows on an advertised basis, Demas Tavern/ Darcelle XV was doing drag shows full-time starting in 1969, with a “company” that expanded over time. Dahl & Penne served an almost exclusively gay clientele. However, Dahl & Penne did provide as much support to the International Rose Court functions as Demas Tavern/Darcelle XV. The final performance at Dahl & Penne was held on December 11, 1983. The building is now gone, replaced by a large bank tower on the site.

citations & references:

. City of Portland Directory, page 2280, 1940 – Dahl & Penne address was 134 SW Alder

• Listed in Damron Address Book/Address Guide 1968 under Bars/Clubs with notations of M – mixed and * - Very popular also notation (best after 1 am).

• Listed in Damron Address Book/Address Guide 1969 under Bars/Clubs with notations of M – mixed also notation (best after 1 am).

• Below is a mention in the Vector Magazine from San Francisco 1969. The Vector was a gay magazine. This mention tells us that Dahl & Penne was becoming a ‘semi-gay’ bar before Sam and Gene purchased it in 1972.