Old St. George Hotel

118 W Burnside Street Portland, Oregon 503-227-2346

Also known as Ye Ole Rooming House

Dates: December 8, 1974 – 1979 (?)

Photo above Right is the street view of a vacant lot where the building used to sit.

Per in person meeting with Lenny Swerdlow on 10-20-2022, he states that it was Neil Hutchins idea to open a gay hotel. “Neil always had the ideas and I was the follow through guy.” Lanny Swerdlow with Neil Hutchins started a magazine called Old Portland Today. Neil became part of The Second Foundation, and they began publishing a newspaper The Fountain in February 1971. Lanny, under a pseudonym Dave Laurence until both left the paper in September 1973 and by February 1974, had started the Northwest Gay Review. It is stated that the offices for the Northwest Gay Review were also at the hotel. Per Lanny (and per the newspaper) the newspaper offices were at 215 W Burnside but at various times the hotel’s address was mentioned and used.

Continuing with the conversation that Don Horn had with Lanny on 10—20-2022 at Lanny’s home outside Palm Springs, California. “It was a run-down working man’s hotel. It had, I think twenty-six rooms, one communal shower with I think three shower heads (like a YMCA shower or a locker room shower), had one central kitchen, and I think each floor had a toilet.”

It opened on Sunday, December 8, 1974, with only eighteen rooms for rent, within months the balance of the rooms was added. Rooms were available on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis at a modest price.

As Lanny said, “It had, I think a 75% occupancy rate, but we didn’t charge a lot and it stayed open for a while.”  Lanny and Neil were publishing the Northwest Gay Review and soon by 1977, Lanny would be opening an underage nightclub called Mildred’s Palace. He relinquished his association with the hotel to a married couple. It soon folded. Below is the ad in the Northwest Gay Review November 1974 issue. Note: Lanny was the Editor of the Northwest Gay Review so having this platform to promote was very beneficial. Other advertisements are also below from 1974-1977.

citations & references:

·      Listed in Damron Address Book/Address Guide 1977 under Hotel – notations H – Hotel

·       Listed in Damron Address Book/Address Guide 1978 under Hotel – notations H – Hotel

·       Listed in Damron Address Book/Address Guide 1979 under Hotel – notations H – Hotel

·       Not listed in Damron Address Book/Address Guide 1980 or thereafter