THE EAGLE BAR / EAGLE
1300 W Burnside, 241-0105 1984 – 2019

835 N Lombard St Portland 2019 - present

Per the book A Curious and Peculiar People by David Grant Kohl (page 252) “John Adams, owner of C C Slaughter’s, opened a second bar on Stark Street in 1984, calling it the Eagle. It held several private spaces, a loft, and an unusual fountain just inside the door.”

At one point there were mumblings about the Eagle being one of the most "hardcore" gay bars in Portland. Then I heard it wasn't even a bar, but rather a raunchy BDSM sex club with blood running down the walls. Such were the images conjured by the supposedly knowledgeable who had "seen things in there." Naturally, I popped in to have myself a gander, specifically intending to check the loft, where apparently all the really brutal leather mask and chains stuff went down, and what did I find? A perfectly mellow gay bar with a delightfully sweet bartender. And in the infamous loft? Some nice bear boys enjoying a quiet game of pool. Plus, the drinks, in keeping with one of the oft-lauded virtues of gay bars, were cheap and strong. I can't say that it wasn't disappointing not to see dudes suspended from hooks, but I'll take another friendly watering hole any day. (SOURCE)

Crowd:  male, mostly mid – 20s to late 30s; mostly leather but some denim

“Portland has a good leather scene, and the Eagle is where you’ll find the most intense action. On the first floor, there is a dark cruise bar, next to which is a smaller room with a pool table. Upstairs there is an open interior balcony: a cozy area more conducive to conversation. In addition to the strong leather presence, you’re apt to see some guys in creative uniforms – an Eagle Scout was spotted in here recently.”

Below Left ad in Imperial Sovereign Rose Court 1990 Coronation Program – also in the 1990 Lucille Hart Dinner Program. Below Middle ad in Growl Magazine “Magazine Bear Men” March/April 1995. Below Right ad in Just Out, January 7, 2005, cites, The Eagle is now Gay Owned!

MOVED to 835 N Lombard St Portland possibly in 2019.

Eagle: Up in North Portland, the unconventional Eagle is not only the northernmost gay hangout in the city and one of the region's favorite gay bear bars, and the official home of the Oregon Bears. It's also a pretty raucous and sexy spot, with cheeky parties like Brief Encounters’ weekly underwear night. Unless there's a theme party, the Eagle is very welcoming to all ages and looks.

Per QUEER IN THE WORLD Eagle Portland – We all know by now the deal with Eagle Bars around the world, and this location is no different, catering to the bears and leather enthusiasts of Portland. Every Sunday afternoon from 4 pm-7 pm there is a free BBQ featuring delicious hot bacon cheeseburgers with all the fixings and sexy events most nights including shirtless nights and brief encounters. Old school, gritty yet very friendly with lots of eye candy and great music. Inexpensive drinks and fast service are also a bonus.

Per FOURSQUARE Manhunt February 2, 2012 Leather n' jeans. We love that the Eagle is the chain restaurant of gay bars. Hopefully, the bathroom is as gross here as it is in all the other Eagles or it just wouldn't be the same.

And The Alco-Frolic's Guide to PDX BarsMarch 23, 2012 Portland's nastiest gay bar and proud of it! They don't frown on having a beer in the nude, but they do tend to frown on women entering this "man's bar".

Per their website: New ownership August 2019

Per PORTLAND MERCURY Fat Cobra, located at 5940 N Interstate, drew attention for its adult arcade (the Mercury reported in 2005 that it had Portland’s fattest glory holes) its phone number, 503-247-DICK, and its close proximity to Ockley Green Middle School. For Fat Cobra’s business owner Pat Lanagan — who, until recently, owned the Lombard gay bar Eagle and the Lloyd-area Sullivan’s Gulch Bar & Grill — didn’t make the decision to close lightly. Lanagan closed his businesses due to personal health and economic factors. Lanagan closed the Sullivan’s Gulch Bar & Grill and Eagle around the same time as Fat Cobra.

Lanagan opened Fat Cobra 15 years ago, its name a reference to the 2003 remake of The In-Laws that he watched with his children. His son, Wade, was a bartender at Sullivan’s Gulch. In a phone conversation, Lanagan said he was diagnosed several years ago with degenerative arthritis, and had blown out two spinal disks after a 2015 car accident. When he underwent disk replacement surgery in early December 2018, he contracted Guillain-Barré Syndrome, which went undiagnosed until late January. During this time, Lanagan celebrated his 60th birthday.

Lanagan is being treated for GBS but still experiences chronic GBS symptoms, like fatigue and muscle weakness.

“When I made the decision to retire, there was no choice,” he said.

Lanagan said Fat Cobra’s business was declining for several years, part of an industry-wide trend attributed to the rise of gay hookup apps like Grindr and Scruff. But Lanagan said that ultimately, Fat Cobra closed due to the lack of expected tax return money Fat Cobra has relied on for several years — for which, he blames the Trump Administration.

Lanagan sold Sullivan’s Gulch to Tod Bresleau — best known as an owner of the Jupiter Hotel — while Eagle was sold to former manager Dan Henderson. Lanagan still owns the Fat Cobra space, and says it may soon be leased by Disjecta Contemporary Art Center founder Bryan Suereth, who may turn it into a new arts space. Suereth did not return Portland Mercury’s request for comment.

“I’ve had a good enough run,” Lanagan said of his three businesses, “It’s time for me to recover and for someone else to run them.”

Members of Portland's longtime LGBTQ+ community are sad to see Fat Cobra close. Pepper Pepper — a prolific Portland performance artist and drag queen who uses they/them pronouns —fondly recalled getting kicked out of Fat Cobra’s arcade about 12 years ago for staging an unauthorized art photoshoot in the arcade space with Precious, a fellow member of the gender terrorist drag troupe, Sissyboy.

“If we lived in a world where queer affection wasn't demonized, we wouldn't need dark seedy places like [Fat Cobra],” Pepper wrote in an email, “Any time a liminal space for queer sexuality to express itself disappears, it is a loss.”

MORE HISTORY COMING SOON