The RAFTERS - Once Upon A Bar

Back in the spring of 1974, a small ad appeared in the Princess Royale Ball program humbly stating ''Watch for the Grand Opening of THE RAFTERS, Portland's Largest Discoteque Bar." The guessing game was on - who, what, when, where, why, and how.

Eventually, everyone had narrowed down all the questions except when.    Even Steve Suss, the man behind it all, wasn't always so sure of that. "When" was supposed to be Labor Day weekend.   Well, Labor Day came and went and so did Rosh Hashanah, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, and Halloween.   The problem was City Hall and an end­ less stream of conflicting codes, red tape, and a vast number of changes.    But finally, it all came together and on Sunday, November 8 the Rafter's held their grand opening.

Just what does the Rafters offer. It’s hard to know where to begin. But since it is a bar one might talk about the bar first. Actually, there are two.  In back near the stage is a small service bar and near the middle is a large bar accessible on all four sides with a small army of bartenders to serve you.  No more IS minute struggles to get you, or your friends' thirsts quenched. And almost any drink imaginable is available.

Dancing, of course, is the major attraction, and there are three dance floors on three levels. It's the largest disco dance floor in the city. A unique light show pulsates over· the entire floor, changing color and intensity to the music. A ballroom mirrored globe revolves casting swirling lights on the dancers below. Add strobe units, black lights and even some red and blue revolving police lights, and you have a real trip.

And to dance to is one of the most elaborate sound systems in the entire city. A new system was installed near the end· of November by Rose City Sound, one of the top audio specialists in Oregon who do most of the sound setups for major rock groups touring Portland. The sound system at the Rafters is their showpiece and Rose City Sound intends to see to it that it is always in top shape if for no other reason than one of their potential customers may just hear it.

And over that sound system, you'll hear not only the current-disco hits but records nobody else has heard before. The Rafters will be receiving new releases direct from the record companies as sort of a testing ground, almost a full month before the radio stations receive them. Don't forget, the rise in popularity of discos was generated by gay people and record companies have come to realize that 'if a   record doesn't make it in a gay bar, it just might not make it anywhere else.

Another unique feature of the Rafters are the large picture windows overlooking the street and adjoining businesses below.   It gives an open feeling, so you don't feel like your cramped into a small room. Steve Suss feels that the windows are "one of the most beautiful things in the bar.  Especially in this day and age, it's nice not to feel contained in a closed room. People should be able to see outside. I think it is even better on a second story like this where people can see out, but nobody can see in. It's nobody's business what goes on in the inside, but it's everybody's business what goes on the outside."

And to keep that open feeling fresh as well, there are five air conditioning units and six air purifiers operating continuously to keep the temperatures at a comfortable level and the air free of smoke and odors. Not to mention that there are plenty of urinals when you need one.

Although primarily a discoteque, the Rafters has a fine stage (which is   also one of the dance floors.) Behind the stage is a full-size movie screen and large dressing rooms. The first major show will be the Miss Oregon Pageant and Christmas show scheduled for December 21 at 8 pm. And, stresses John Thibideau, manager of the Rafters, "all the shows will start within five minutes of their scheduled   time or we'll cancel them.   There won't be any Queen Standard Time at the Rafters."

The Rafters has just opened up, but already plans are being made for its future. Plans call for occasional live bands, a roof garden, a return to the late '60s with go-go dancers on special nights, and the beginning of an after­ hours operation in the Embers.

John also mentioned that the Rafters is available free of charge to any gay organization to use during the day for meetings, rehearsals, or whatever. Just call them and schedule in a time.

With the addition of the Rafters, Steve Suss brings three bars to the gay community.  Each bar has its own atmosphere, its own   specialty.   The Embers has a fine. lunch and dinner menu and delightful piano bar. Just around the corner is the Focal Point with the good-time friendly atmosphere of a neighborhood tavern. And of course, upstairs above them all, is the Rafters, the largest discoteque in Portland where you can get right down and boogie with over 500 people until the wee hours of the morning.

On the night of the opening of the Rafters, all the people employed by Steve Suss (and there is  almost  40 of them) got   together   and   presented  him  with  an  award.   Steve has helped a lot of people over the years, and it was their way of thanking him for all that he has done for them and for the Portland Gay community.

With the opening of the Rafters, Steve Suss has become the first person in Portland’s gay bar scene to build a bar gay people from  scratch.  All the other gay bars in Portland were straight bars converted   into gay bars,  but the Rafters is the first bar in Portland built with the gay community in mind.    ·

But the Rafters was long incoming. Almost ten years ago, he Focal Point was called Roman's Tavern and was owned and  operated  by  Roman  Wydra and Steve Suss.  In 1969, the two took over  a  straight  bar  and  reopened  it as a gay bar called  the  Bohemian. It was Portland's most swinging fay bar.   Later they opened the Riptide at l0th and Stark. Problems arose  in  the   partnership  and  the  two  split with Roman taking over the Riptide and Steve taking over Roman’s Tavern, later to be renamed the Focal Point.

A year later Steve purchased the Embers  and  the following year  the  Castaways. According  to  John  Thibideau who  has  been  working  with  Steve  for  the  better part of the past eight years, Steve gave up the Castaways because the city made it impossible for him to get a license. The city claimed that they didn’t want one man to control the gay  bar  scene. However, there  were at least seven other gay bars operating in the city, and so that was hardly the case. The real reason was  that  the city just didn't want another gay bar opening up.

So the Castaways closed and Steve began looking for another bar. He checked out several bars including the Watercloset [W.C. Watercloset], but didn't feel that any of them was quite what he was after.

Steve relates how the concept of the  upstairs  bar came into  being  this  way.   "I   was tending bar at the service end of the Embers, and this guy came up to me and very quietly  says  “why  don't  you  buy  that  pool  hall upstairs and get rid of all these people.”

This was before the Watercloset had opened. I think I had thought about it a couple of times before that, but it wasn't until that man actually said it, that it really stuck in my mind.  I took it from there and it was about six months later that I actually approached the owner. I'm a very slow mover. I think about things a long time before I actually take a step like this."

Elaborating further Steve explained his motivations behind the Rafters. "What I feel what I have done here is that I've taken advantage of a business opportunity, it's good business, it does nothing but protect the interest of the city, protect my own person as a business, and employs gay people. This place was designed with gay people in mind, by gay people, constructed by gay people, and enjoyed by gay people."

And Steve means it. During construction of the Rafters, all but two facets of the entire construction were performed by gay people. Steve believes that since the operating revenue for his bars comes from the gay community, that wherever possible, that money should be put back into the gay community.

The Rafters was built for the gay community and Steve hopes that the gay community will use it not only in the traditional sense of a meeting place for gay people but almost as a community gathering spot. During the day, they are making the facility available to all gay organizations for use for meetings and rehearsals. It’s really up to the gay community to make use of its resources.

When asked if he felt the Rafters might have the same problem that some other popular gay bars throughout the country have had with so many straights starting to come, that gay people began staying away, Steve replied in a manner that probably sums up his entire philosophy behind operating a social outlet for Portland’s gay community.

“In Portland, Darcelle's and the Watercloset have advertised, fairly extensively in basically · straight publications. I have only utilized the gay media to advertise my bars.

A lady from the  Hilton  Hotel called and asked me if I wanted to run an advertisement in a brochure that goes into·a11 the guest rooms.· I told her that this was a gay bar and I didn’t see a point in trying to attract straights. She replied that the Hilton wasn't as straight as it appeared, but I still said no thanks. I have never advertised -in the straight media, and I don't plan to in the future. ·

"I don't want straights coming here as I want my customers to have a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere. It’s fine if gay people bring their straight friends here, but  I don't want straight people coming on down here on their own.  This bar was built by and for  gay people and I want to keep it that way."

An article in the January 1979 NW Fountain cited the Rafters: The Los Conquistadores annual Portland Awards went off on schedule on a Sunday night at the Rafters, attendance fell quite short of expectancies, but not lacking in nominees and the winners of the same. The results of the voting were not surprising with Darcelle XV taking the top honor of Humanitarian of the Year. By definition, Humanitarian holds a different meaning in my opinion, but Webster’s wasn’t around for verification. Congratulations to the winners, and to the losers, hold no, there’s always next year.

THE RAFTERS CLOSED THE SAME YEAR EMBERS CLOSED AND MOVED TO 610 NW BROADWAY. See Embers for information and exterior photos of the building. Note, around the corner on Yamhill was The Sidedoor. See Sidedoor for information.

Below LEFT, ad in Capitol Forum News, September 1979. Below RIGHT, photo of “The” Vanessa and Steve Suss.