HISTORY CONTINUED…

Per an interview with Steven (Suss) in 2011, “We had the Embers on the other side of me on the same block. [Embers, 739 S.W. Park and Morrison next to the Virginia Cafe.] Came up for sale. He wanted to sell it and I figured we shared a common back wall. And I thought maybe that I could put a hole through the wall and combine the two bars. So when I applied for it through the city – the old Embers was up on Park and Yamhill in the, where the Zell block was. The Zell block, uh...the Zell Brothers Jewelers. Now it's a big hole in the ground. [the building was demolished a new high rise has since been built] I needed more space in that hole connecting the two bars then I had so I approached the guy that owned the clothing store on the other side of me if I could maybe take a corner of his spot just like maybe two feet and he said, “Sure! No problem! Two feet? Take 10 feet!” He says, “This used to be an old bank and right in that corner is the vault. You're not going to get an inch!” He said it's impossible to cut through that steel and concrete. So the police department decided, they came back and said they weren't going to allow it anyway. It would be too hard to control something like that – having to enter through one side of the block when the main portion of it was on the other side of the block. So I decided I wasn't going to do it. And then a week later I thought well, I decided that I would do it. For one-year Embers when Roman purchased it stayed a ‘straight’ bar, then changed it. It was right next door to the Virginia Café.”

Per Wikipedia: While the origin of the café's name is unknown, the original Virginia Cafe was opened in 1914 at 1014 SW Stark Street by three Greek immigrant brothers (Theodore, William and Christopher Dussin) after they were laid off from their jobs. The brothers opened a second location at 725 SW Park Avenue in downtown Portland in 1922, which lasted until 2007 when it was replaced by a $150 million, 35-story office tower built by Tom Moyer's TMT Development firm.’ Suss’s attempt to connect this tavern with his adjoining Rafter’s [believe this actually was The Side Door] was rebuffed by Mayor Terry Schrunk and City Councilman Frank Ivancie, who consistently fought licensing his bars. Schrunk was afraid of the reputation that Portland was getting, and Ivancie had an innate dislike for the gay liberation movement and everything it stood for. Despite City Council’s opposition to licensing gay bars in the 1960s and ’70s (local jurisdiction could only recommend) the Oregon Liquor Control Commission continually renewed their licenses, fearing a test case in court.

NOTE: Roman and Steve had 3 bars at one time [Sidedoor, Focal Point, Embers] the city, Mayor Schunk didn’t like a ‘monopoly’ on bars – it is believed that Roman would lose a license or not be renewed and Steve would apply and get them.

History of the building before Embers.

Prior to Embers -- The Zombie Zulu Beer Parlor and Lounge was located on the corner of Park and Yamhill from ca. 1950 through 1958. -- The Ember’s Restaurant and Lounge took over the Park and Yamhill corner space in 1959. Later, Ember’s was only a restaurant, and the lounge was called The Rafters. In 1982, a remodeling project expanded the retail space for Victoria Taylor’s Mercantile, a women’s clothing store that was located in the corner space of the Park Yamhill Building. This project connected the first floor of the corner of the Park Yamhill Building to the first floors of the Dental Arts Building and the Hudson Bay Company Building. The Mercantile women’s clothing store and this space configuration exist today.

In the March 1972 issue of The Fountain, Steve Suss is mentioned as well as Roman’s and Embers:

Ivancie began his war on the gay community in August of last year (1971). At that time the licensing requested by Steve Suss for Roman’s Tavern was brought before City Council…The issue of gay bars was brought up again on November 18. This time Suss was requesting a Class B Dispensers license for the Embers, a bar just behind Roman’s. Suss hoped to knock out the wall between the two, thus extending Roman’s into Embers and making it one big bar, using Roman’s present front door as the only entrance for the expanded outlet. Officer Rosenbloom again asserted the Police Department’s feeling that “the saturation point (for gay bars) has been reached in our opinion in the downtown area, from Oak Street to Yamhill and from Broadway to 10th. The downtown core area is becoming nothing, what used to be called club row, is becoming nothing but homosexual outlets we just don’t feel that the police bureau can give sanctification for that.”[later] February 10…Suss applied again.”

Steve was interviewed for an article in Oregon Journal on August 30, 1972, page 1 about the gay community entitled “Portland After Dark”.  It’s apparent that in 1972, Steve was trying to cater to everyone – but after 8 pm to the homosexual/gay crowd and using the entrance called The Sidedoor on Yamhill. By 1974, he transitioned the business to a gay nightclub.

In the Northwest Gay Review, page 14 May 1974 issue in the Society News, “Don’t forget Steve Suss’ big three (as if anyone possibly could). The Focal Point features penny beer every Tuesday night from 9 pm to midnight. Ted Dore continues to provide music and a good time every night at the Ember’s piano bar. Don’t forget besides dinners, Embers also features lunches from 11 am to 3 pm. And last, but certainly not least, is the Castaway’s D.J. bar. They’ve got our favorite records – so be sure and request them.” 

Northwest Gay Review November 1974 “…congratulations to Doni Lame’ and best wishes to Rose Empress XVII with the addition: Just one of the following is enough to make you a regular at the Focal Point – Embers! Randy, Steve, John Thibodeau, Bess, Klynn, Tom Terrific, Hamburger Sandy, “Groovy Guy 75 Bruce” – David -1-2-3-4-5-6-7-etc. Terry – Ray-Dan.” Also, it states that “Ever since Embers opened Van (Vanessa) has been doing shows. September 1973 was the start of his regular show at D & P”.

At the age of 40 Steve Suss moves Embers to 110 SW Broadway adding Ember’s Avenue – per a Facebook comment on 1/26/2022, Thomas Patrick I helped move it to Broadway. The fish aquarium bar was all one piece. We put has much as we could in the old white van. Then two people held up their part with a 2x4. I carried the end and had a red hankie in my back pocket so we were legal. This was done on Memorial day. No cars downtown made it possible to do this

Years: 1981-2017

Per (this website)
During my 2004 summer of exploration, my travels took me to Portland Oregon, for the first time in my life.
Club / Bar: Embers Avenue, 110 NW Broadway (Just North of Burnside Avenue)

Music: See Notes
Light Show: 4 Stars
Atmosphere: 3 Stars
Location: City
Parking: City
Reviewed: August 2004
Confirmed: August 2004

From my gathering, this was once the premiere place, but the years have taken its toll.  Unfortunately, I didn't discover it until nearly my last night, a Sunday. I ventured in anyhow and found a fun, albeit small crowd, enjoying an evening of Karaoke - and they were GOOD! I sat back and enjoyed several performances, then eventually explored the back room - or dance area. A large (probably the largest of the places I visited) dance floor, with the best light show, using many intelligent lighting effects. I don't know what the DJ spins on other nights, but on Sunday, it was clearly Latin, mostly in Spanish - and the gathering crowd was mostly Latin, and appeared to be mostly straight. No one seemed to care. The staff and folks singing up front were certainly gay, and based on the numerous Rainbow flags hanging outside, this was indeed intended to be a GAY bar! The clubs’ website found on most Internet directories is not up and running a real shame. If time allows, try visiting on a Friday or Saturday. There was nothing in the bar/club to identify themes or specials or events.

Per the book A Curious and Peculiar People by David Grant Kohl page 197, “In 1981, Bar owner Steve Suss lost his lease on the Embers and Rafters, relocating as Embers on NW Broadway. He designed the backroom/dance bar as The Avenue. The former hardware store and garage was decorated with street signs from his previous businesses and lamp posts from the Roaring 20s room of the demolished Hoyt Hotel.”

lost his lease on the Embers and Rafters, relocating as Embers on NW Broadway. He designed the backroom/dance bar as The Avenue. The former hardware store and garage was decorated with street signs from his previous businesses and lamp posts from the Roaring 20s room of the demolished Hoyt Hotel. Per the book A Curious and Peculiar People by David Grant Kohl page 197

Per the article in https://cityhomepdx.com/blogs/cityhome/a-memoir-from-embers-portlands-iconic-drag-queen-night-club entitled, Remembering Portland's Iconic Embers Night Club, Feb 20, 2018, it cited ‘At the end of last year, after almost 50 years in business, Embers Night Club opened its doors for the last time to a line that stretched from their entrance on NW Broadway all the way to SW Stark. After suffering a series of strokes, owner Steve Suss became incapacitated and unable to speak or write. His family had to make the difficult decision to close the club.” (SOURCE)

GLAPN [Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest interviewed Steve in 2011, “10 years later I lost the lease …I think because of Nordstrom, being right directly across the street from Nordstrom. And it didn't help that one night after Nordstrom had built their new building and they were getting ready for their grand opening. One of my customers, late on a Saturday night, had his motorcycle on the sidewalk just outside the front door. He got onto his motorcycle and revved it up. Well, it slipped into gear and while it was revving up it shot out from underneath him and careened across the street right directly through the new glass doors of Nordstrom. Well, they had their grand opening with their main glass doors boarded up. 'Cus you don't, you don't find one-inch thick glass doors anywhere! They were special ordered and it took them six weeks to get them and replace those main front doors. So they weren't too happy with me and I'm sure they put pressure on my landlord not to renew my lease. So being forced with no lease I went looking for a building and this was it. [The location on Broadway was}… an auto-dealer ship at one time. And then the auto-parts store, they did a huge mail-order business out of here. And it became too small so they moved into a huge warehouse space on the east side of the river and left this place vacant for about four years. So it was just a derelict of a building.”

Steve Suss was interviewed by Bonita Richardson in the Cascade Voice newspaper, in August 1982 under ON THE AVENUE: “It’s been a very good move; it was very difficult in the beginning. When you take a derelict of a building and you try to do something with it and you think you have a good plan and have a good idea and people start invading our ideas, you find out it was not quite as good as you thought it was. In the past year, we’ve modified a few things. Actually, in the transition, there was only a gap of two weeks…to take the building and bring it up to code just to make it earthquake-proof cost 50 thousand dollars, one of the walls had to be built with structural steel and concrete – the two buildings had to be tied together…turning a warehouse that was a shell into an entertainment complex - stripping stucco from the brick, uncovering the beams, and adding sprinklers – that is a major project and expense that most people aren’t aware of…we’ve had suggestions for the upper-level top floor; apartment units, steam baths, business offices or athletic club. But as for a second-level entertainment that would still be several years down the road. Not at this time, because of the quality of competition in Portland with its diversification of so many bars for people to go - there’s not enough business to support so large a complex…Portland has more gay bars than Seattle. It never ceases to amaze me that we have so many bars here compared to 17 years ago when I started. More than 25 bars, that’s why they come and go. Portland really can’t support that many. As one bar opens, another closes.” 

Per Steve Suss in a 2011 interview with GLPAN stated, “Was there anything that inspired the name 'Embers?' “Steve said, “It was the 'Embers' before I bought it. Why they called it that, I don't know, but I thought it was an alright name, so I just kept it. Fire Marshal didn't like it but I didn't have to please him! I thought of changing it one time. I have a contest with my employees about coming up with a new name and one of my bartenders at the time - God rest his soul. He passed away about 10 years ago. [The club moved to its 110 NW Broadway and Couch location in 1979-2017]. When Horace Megger was doing business down here at the other end of the block, he had Couch St Fish House. And...He said we should probably run Horace Megger some competition and call the Embers the “Couch St Fag House.” Obviously, I didn't change it. At its height in the mid-90s, Embers was pumping out drag shows seven nights a week. Famous visitors included Madonna and Henry Rollins. During his time working at Embers, James Hemphill wore many hats - he was a cocktailer, a DJ, a lead cook, security, and his personal favorite - an entertainer - performing as drag queen Terrika St. James Now that the gay lifestyle is mainstream, James says he feels like there’s no such thing as a gay bar anymore, guessing that 75% of Ember’s guests towards the end of its years in business were straight or questioning.”

“Plus there were a lot of bachelorette parties,” James said with a laugh, pointing out that this wasn’t a bad thing at all … “If there wasn't a gay guy to dance with, there was always a nice straight woman to dance with.”

Per the Oregonian, James Hemphill, a bartender for 26 at Embers has mixed feelings about the transition, “You can buy the building, but you can’t buy the business,” he said, "The sad part about Embers disappearing is that it’s the last of the old school gay bars in Portland. Embers is an iconic name for alternative lifestyles across the country - not just in Portland. It’s a place you knew you would feel safe.”

Ember CLOSES In 2017, After suffering a series of strokes, owner Steve Suss became incapacitated and unable to speak or write. His family had to make the difficult decision to close the club

Roman and Steve purchased The Embers around 1970 per ads showing that Johnny owned the bar in 1969 into - 2017 Steve had The Side Door and per his interview in 2011, “We had the Embers on the other side of me on the same block. [Embers, 739 S.W. Park and Morrison next to the Virginia Cafe.] Came up for sale. He wanted to sell it and I figured we shared a common back wall. And I thought maybe that I could put a hole through the wall and combine the two bars. So, when I applied for it through the city – the old Embers was up on Park and Yamhill in the, where the Zell block was. The Zell block, uh...the Zell Brothers Jewelers. Now it's a big hole in the ground. I needed more space in that hole connecting the two bars then I had so I approached the guy that owned the clothing store on the other side of me if I could maybe take a corner of his spot just like maybe two feet and he said, “Sure! No problem! Two feet? Take 10 feet!” He says, “This used to be an old bank, and right in that corner is the vault. You're not going to get an inch!” He said it's impossible to cut through that steel and concrete. So, the police department decided, they came back and said they weren't going to allow it anyway. It would be too hard to control something like that – having to enter through one side of the block when the main portion of it was on the other side of the block. So, I decided I wasn't going to do it. And then a week later I thought well, I decided that I would do it. For one-year Embers when Roman purchased it stayed a ‘straight’ bar, then changed it. It was right next door to the Virginia Café [per Wikipedia While the origin of the café's name is unknown, the original Virginia Cafe was opened in 1914 at 1014 SW Stark Street by three Greek immigrant brothers (Theodore, William, and Christopher Dussin) after they were laid off from their jobs. The brothers opened a second location at 725 SW Park Avenue in downtown Portland in 1922, which lasted until 2007 when it was replaced by a $150 million, 35-story office tower built by Tom Moyer's TMT Development firm.

Suss’s attempt to connect this tavern with his adjoining Rafter’s [believe this actually was The Side Door] was rebuffed by Mayor Terry Schrunk and City Councilman Frank Ivancie, who consistently fought licensing his bars. Schrunk was afraid of the reputation that Portland was getting, and Ivancie had an innate dislike for the gay liberation movement and everything it stood for. Despite City Council’s opposition to licensing gay bars in the 1960s and ’70s (local jurisdiction could only recommend) the Oregon Liquor Control Commission continually renewed their licenses, fearing a test case in court. 

NOTE: Roman and Steve had 3 bars at one time – the city, Mayor Schunk didn’t like a ‘monopoly’ on bars – it is believed that Roman would lose a license or not be renewed and Steve would apply and get them.

The Embers Avenue, One of Portland’s Oldest Gay Bars, Is Closing Tomorrow Night | Hornet, the Queer Social Network (hornetapp.com) https://hornetapp.com/stories/embers-avenue-gay-bar-closing/ Part of the post: Written by Matt Keeley on November 29, 2017  “The Embers Avenue, one of the largest and oldest gay bars in Portland, Oregon, is closing Friday morning at 2:30. According to a brief Facebook post, the owner of the club had a stroke, and can no longer operate the business. Given the short notice, the club will be open tonight and Thursday night.”

After years of seeing bars close, downtown Portland's gay scene will get a big new nightclub as soon as this year.

Last November, Portlanders mourned when nightclub Embers announced it would close after 48 years as a bastion of gay culture at the edge of Old Town—an unusually sudden end that came about after the owner suffered what the club called a "massive stroke."

But the new business owner in the space, TJ Bruce, says he plans to "carry on the tradition" in the former Embers space at 110 NW Broadway by opening a new gay dance club called Badlands, as soon as this summer — although timing will depend heavily on the level of renovations needed.

Bruce is a 20-year veteran opening bars, with another spot called Badlands in Sacramento, plus three different nightclubs called Splash in Fresno, San Jose, and Reno. He says he hopes to bring much of the same vibe to the Portland Badlands as at his previous Splash locations. His two-story, video-screen-packed San Jose location was apparently the most popular Lyft location in the Bay Area, potential good news for a Portland gay bar scene that hasn't seen a high-profile opening in years.

Bruce says it was his local ties that led to him taking over the former Embers space.  "My family lives on the Oregon coast, he says. "I come up here often, and I've become enamored with the space."

Bruce, who also works as a contractor, will do his own renovations on Badlands and hopes to begin construction within the next couple months.

He also says his new lease gives a strong option to buy the building, allowing him to remain in the space for the long haul. “I plan to put in substantial work,” he says. “It’s about coming up with a plan for the first year, and then a long-term plan. It’s a big project.” (SOURCE)