614 SW 11th 222-2639
Years: 1987-2004
PRINCETON ATHLETIC CLUB
Article in August 21, 1988 Just Out
Ad in Alternative Connection newspaper December 1992
citations & references:
In the gay community, the Princeton was known as the “Princess” Club
· First listed in Damron Address Book, 1991 under Gyms/Health Clubs with notation (MX) address listed is 614 SW 11th
· listed in Damron Address Book, 1992 under Gyms/Health Clubs with notation (MX) address listed is 614 SW 11th
· Do not possess Damron Address Book, 1993
· listed in Damron Address Book, 1994 under Gyms/Health Clubs with notation (GF) address listed is 614 SW 11th
· listed in Damron Road Atlas 1994 Under: Gyms & Health Clubs
· listed in Damron Address Book, 1995 under Gyms/Health Clubs address listed is 614 SW 11th
· listed in Damron Road Atlas 1995 Under: Gyms & Health Clubs
· listed in Damron Address Book, 1996 under Gyms/Health Clubs with notation (GF) address listed is 614 SW 11th
· Listed in Fodor’s “The Little Black Book” 1997 edition under Working Out “Downtown gay men and lesbians favor the fancy Princeton(a.k.a. “Princess”) Athletic Club (614 S.W. Washington)
· listed in Fodor’s Gay Guide to the Pacific Northwest 1997 Under: Working Out
· listed in Out & About Gay Travel Guide 1997 Under: Workout “The gayest gym in town.”
· Listed in Out & About Gay Travel Guides 1997 edition page 367 under “Workout” “ The gayest gym intown is Princeton Athletic Club.”
· listed in Damron Address Book, 1997 under Gyms/Health Clubs with notation (GF) – day passes available address listed is 614 SW 11th
· listed in Damron Address Book, 1998 under Gyms/Health Clubs with notation (GF) – day passes available address listed is 614 SW 11th
· listed in Damron Address Book, 1999 under Gyms/Health Clubs with notation (GF) address listed is 614 SW 11th
· listed in Damron’s Men’s Travel Guide 2000 Under: Gyms & Health Clubs
From https://www.bizapedia.com/or/princeton-athletic-club.html:
Princeton Athletic Club is an Oregon Assumed Business Name filed On May 25, 2004. The company's filing status is listed as Inactive and its File Number is 221522-92.
The Registered Agent on file for this company is James Morris and is located at 1054 Monterey Ln, Fircrest, WA 98466. The company's principal address is 1101 Sw Washington St, Portland, OR 97205.
The company has 1 contact on record. The contact is James Morris from Fircrest WA.
Company Name: PRINCETON ATHLETIC CLUB
Entity Type: ASSUMED BUSINESS NAME
File Number: 221522-92
Filing State: Oregon (OR)
Filing Status: Inactive
Filing Date: May 25, 2004
Company Age: 17 Years, 10 Months
Registered Agent:
Map Icon spacer James Morris
1054 Monterey Ln
Fircrest, WA 98466
Principal Address:
Map Icon 1101 SW Washington St
Portland, OR 97205
SIC 2 Description: Amusement And Recreation Services
SIC 4 Description: Membership Sports And Recreation Clubs
Governing Agency: Oregon Office of the Secretary of State
Princeton Athletic Club1101 SW Washington StreetPortland, OregonU.S.A.
Phone: 971-230-0403
Web:
Category: Health Spas
Princeton Athletic Club ripoff Lies About Opening Date, Alters Contracts, Signs My Name To Documents Portland Oregon
1. When I purchased a Princeton Athletic Club membership on 11/10/2004, sales staff promised that the new Telegram Building location would open on or around 12/01/2004. No mention was made that December 1st was projected for only one-half of the gym. It was not until much later that I would learn the truth: the cardio floor would not be finished until long after December, and until that time, a very limited array of older aerobic equipment was all that would be provided. This was despite the fact that I made it very clear I was most interested in aerobic equipment and wanted to begin using the aerobic equipment as soon as possible. I paid $86 on that day (have bank statements to prove it). This was for the $61 monthly fee + $25 card fee (for a card I never received).
2. On that same day - 11/10/2004 - sales staff told me the membership card would arrive via mail. This worried me, since I was told to use the membership contract until the card arrived. The membership contract contained my SSN and bank information, and I did not want to carry that around in my wallet or bag. When I called to inquire how long the card might take, I was warned that I may not receive a card at all simply because I was waiting for the new location to open. This worried me, and as a result, I reconsidered whether I should have joined. (Later in the same phone call, I was told that I would indeed receive a card, but I had to come pick it up. Needless to say, I was losing confidence.)
3. On November 13, 2004, I came in and took a second tour of the new location - still under construction and quite empty. I was concerned, and I wanted reassurances about the machines that would be available. I came in and spoke with Tim. He assured me there would be Step Mills (NOT Stairmasters, but Step Mills; we had a very detailed conversation about the differences between these machines.) He also assured me there would be more types of ellpticals, new bikes, etc. Again, NO mention was made that the Cardio floor would be opening later than the rest of the gym, even though I made it quite clear that I had weights at home and ONLY wanted to use cardio machines. In addition to this, I made it very clear that I needed access to these particular machines asap. He assured me the gym would be opening in just a few short weeks, around December 1st. He did not say that only HALF the gym would be opening; he simply said the gym would be opening. Any reasonable person would assume he meant the ENTIRE gym.
4. Sometime after the November 13 visit, I called and spoke with a receptionist, who told me the gym was opening on December 1st. I called because I had received an advertisement in the mail for a November 30th Grand Opening Party. I was excited and wanted to confirm that the gym was ready to open. Again, this representative made no mention that the cardio floor was on another timeline. In fact, this person went out of his way to say that both floors should open "around the same time." There might be some days where machines would be moved up to the cardio floor, but it would be open.
5. Early in December, I paid a visit to see if the gym was open and ready. I was shown the (very few) cardio machines that were available - crammed into a corner on the weight training floor. I asked where all the other machines were, and I was told that more were would be moved upstairs in the next couple of weeks. This is also when I was told that the aerobics floor would not be opening until at least several weeks - and maybe months - later. I was extremely disappointed and did not want to come back. I felt I had been duped and was unsure what to do. I decided to come back when more machines had been brought upstairs and give the place another chance.
6. I waited and went in December 16th, only to find that no more cardio machines had been brought upstairs. It was the same paltry array I had seen before. The ellipticals were not what I was promised. The
bikes were rickety, with seats that would not stay in place (and yes, I know how to use the bikes - I have used them for years). There were no step mills as promised by Tim.
I immediately demanded my contract to be cancelled. The General Manager, Chris, did cancel my membership, but only after insulting me. He then promised to have this cancellation processed immediately. He said the Operations Manager, Peggie, needed to enter the cancellation into the computer and call me at home to confirm.
I waited all day for this call, and every time I called to find out what was happening, I was told that the Operations Manager was "in a meeting." The General Manger, Chris, finally processed the cancellation personally and called me back. At this time, he said I should receive a refund of the $86 I already paid. He also promised that I would never again see any charges from Princeton Athletic Club, and that if I did, I would be credited immediately.
It does not end there, however. Later the same day, I began receiving telephone calls about shipments to Princeton Athletic Club. My telephone number had been given out without my permission. Perhaps this was an accident, but it certainly shows that Princeton Athletic Club cannot protect private information. I faxed & emailed a letter to management and came in with my husband, demanding that they return their copy of my contract, as I could not trust them to protect my information. General Manager Chris said it was no problem. He told us to come back in an hour when the office opened, and he would produce the contract.
When we returned, Chris again promised to retrieve the contract and left to go to the old location (where records are still stored.) He never came back. We waited almost an hour, until the Operations Manager (Peggie) finally came in and said there was no way they could return the contract.
After becoming upset and calming down again, I asked her to at least black out my personal information, and she agreed to do this. However, she would not let me watch. She returned with a photocopy, showing that she had blacked out my personal information.
Of course, I have no way of knowing whether she simply photocopied the contract, blacked out the photocopy and then copied it again. For all I know, my information is still stored at the club. I just had to trust her at that point. Peggie then told me I needed to call her if I wanted to "work out" a refund. It is unbelievable to me that I would have to do yet more work - and jump through more hoops - to obtain a refund. She should have processed it right there, especially since I had waited over an hour for the contract, and especially after all the stress I had undergone. I was so stressed out I got sick .
In an act of goodwill (and before I realized my contract had been altered - see below), I sent an email thanking the Operations Manager (Peggie) for blacking out my private information, but I never heard back. This only confirms to me that she does not plan to issue the refund.
Also, upon comparing the photocopy with my carbon copy of the original contract, I notice that - at some point after I joined - someone forged (traced?) my signature onto the bank draft authorization form. Unbelievable. And they handed me the evidence! On my carbon copy of the original, this line is blank, meaning that I never signed it (otherwise it would show on the carbon copy). On the photocopy - which is an image of the copy the gym keeps on file, and is the top sheet of the original carbon sheets - a signature clearly appears on that line, and in handwriting that is obviously not my own.
My guess is that I forgot to sign that one line, and someone filled it in for me. This does not represent good business practices, in my opinion. Of course I had intended to sign that line on the day I joined (when I was foolish enough to believe this gym was honest). But if they needed the signature, they could have called me or written a letter. They have my phone number and address, after all. Why sign it for me? (I have imagined every possible scenario in my mind, trying to recall whether I signed that line in some awkward position that would make the handwriting strange, but that would be impossible.
Had I signed at all, it would have gone through the carbon and copied onto my carbon sheet. And the handwriting is obviously not mine. It appears very near my real signature, and looks nothing like it). In addition to the signature, someone also added a "Total Agreement Price" and "Remaining Balance Due." On my carbon copy, these lines are blank; on the photocopy of the top sheet, these lines are filled in. Suspicious, to say the least.
I have submitted a complaint to the Oregon/Washington BBB and will also be filing with the Attorney General. Heck, if they are willing to alter the contract, I doubt they are truly leaving me alone. I wish I had never walked into that gym.
Oh yeah - I forgot to mention that the General Manager admitted he fired several employees because of lies and other issues. The club refuses to take responsibility, choosing to blame "previous owners and management" instead of rolling up its sleeves and cleaning the mess.
I am sure it will be a nice club when it FINALLY opens for real, but that hardly matters to me now. I can only hope they shape up and learn to take responsibility, so that others will not experience what I have.
You know, I chose this gym because it was a small local business, and because I could join without a huge enrollment fee. What a nightmare. I think I will stick to my workout videos and the small fitness room in my apartment building.
Karrie
Portland, Oregon
U.S.A.
ALSO MENTIONED in a paper written by Anne Mussey for the Gay and Lesbian Archives, Ruben Reynaga USNT 421 AERO-VAPORS and Workout Baths possibly circa 2000 “Interview with David Hamilton/Mame and Norm Costas: Workout Baths (531 5W 12th Ave.) was open from 1968-1969. t was not listed in the Portland Directory in 1970, however, it reappeared in 1971 with a new name, Workout Health Studio/Advisco Health Studio (1971-1976). In 1977 it was only listed as the Workout Health Studio and remained open until 1979. In 1980 a new health club was opened in that same location called Olympic Uptown Health Studio and it was listed in the directory till 1983; however, I was unable to find when this health studio closed shop. This block which housed Workout Baths also included a variety of other businesses ranging from a barbershop (Washington Barber Shop to a luggage store (Fink’s Luggage) and an orthopedic shop. The Playmate Health Club (1974-1976) was listed on 525 SW 126 Ave. Across the street on Alder, the First Presbyterian Church stands (1854). Interestingly enough, the 531 address úsed to “house Camp Here Girls Portland Area Council unt1 1965.
Workout Baths must have been a low-key business, especially to be allowed to continue for such a considerable long time near a church and other small businesses. However, one could argue that most bathhouses ran during late hours after the bars close; “therefore, there would be little traffic to bring alarm or annoyance to the other businesses. I did explore the area and found the building where the bathhouse business was located. It looked like a house and it was empty. There is a dry cleaning shop located in the 517 address that once was a barbershop. A bookstore, a beauty shop, and a luggage store presently inhabit this block. I went into the laundry shop and asked the owner (an Asian lady with an extreme accent) if she was aware what business used to exist prior to her dry-cleaning service. She said he had been there for fifteen years and she did not remember what was there before she moved in. I asked her if she owned the space above ber and she replied no. The entrance that once led to Workout Baths is locked and through the windows, one can see a variety of boxes. I tried calling the listed number (227-8393) but it was disconnected or no longer in service.
My friend took it upon himself to ask some older men at Princeton, a health club on 11’th between Alder and Morrison that has a large gay clientele, about the gay community in Portland. Many were aware of the fact that there used to be more gay bars and bathhouses in Portland, yet they had a variety of reasons why gay-oriented businesses such as bars and bathhouses were in decline. The most common reason though was that gay men had other outlets to turn to meet other gay men, besides bars, bookstores, or bathhouses. There were a variety of political and gay-friendly organizations that gay men joined; however, it would be foolish to simply disregard the importance of bars and bathhouses in bringing in the gay community. These institutions serve an important purpose for gay men at every level of life, from those that are totally open to completely closeted. Gay bars often served as the first step towards accepting ones sexuality, at least for me it did. It is evident that sexual minority youth now have access to more gay organizations than sexual minorities from the past, therefore, one can conclude that the importance of gay bars and bathhouses will decrease. By decreased importance, I do not mean that these institutions will disappear. The sex industry will remain as long as the libido of gay men continues. By importance, it is meant that gay men will no longer rely on these institutions solely to communicate with other gay men.
The AIDS epidemic had a tremendous impact on the sexual practices of gay came to impact the sex practices of gay men and eventually, it came to impact the sex practices of the general public. The quick spread of diseases through bathhouses was evident in the past and many gay men would simply attain vaccinations if they discovered they carried or caught a disease There was an outbreak of gonorrhea during the early 1970s, in Oregon among the gay population and even the Oregon Department of Health heavily advertised in the Fountain, a gay monthly magazine, to go get check-ups. Mr. Horton, the Venereal Disease Program Director of Oregon State Board of Health released the statistics that from01 1961-1971 there had been a 600% increase in gonorrhea cases, the eleventh highest in the nation. Bathhouses were dangerous because of the anonymous type of sexual contact between a high number of men. There was always a potential for some form of disease breakout, therefore, it should come at no surprise that AID’S would spread very fast. In Portland, the bathhouse Club Portland remained open, even during the AIDS crisis, and is still in business. There is a sex club in the basement called Zippers beneath Club Portland. The sex club Xes is located on 13th Avenue between Burnside and Washington There are only three businesses that cater that cater exclusively to gay men in Portland currently. During the 70s there were the following I had come across: Aero-Vapors Bathhouse, Workout Baths, Majestic Hotel Baths (303 SW 12th Ave.), and Olympic Sauna (359 SW Morrison). These are some of the heavily advertised bathhouses, some word only known by word of mouth. It is also important to note that the words sauna and health club basically provided the same service, a place for gay men to have sexual encounters.”