Huber's - The History Behind the Bar

Huber's was established in 1879 at the corner of First and Morrison as the Bureau Saloon. Its first proprietor was W.L. Lightner. In 1884 Frank R. Huber was hired as bartender. Mr. Huber had tended bar in Portland for many years. In 1887 Frank Huber became a partner with W.L. Lightner at the Bureau and the following year became the sole proprietor.

Jim Louie left his home in Canton, China at age 11 and landed in Portland in 1881. He found work in a bakery, then later worked at the old Peerless Saloon on Alder Street before going to work in 1891 for Frank Huber at the Bureau.

In 1895, the saloon was moved to Washington Street, the name was changed to Huber's, and it became the favorite saloon of the downtown businessman. Huber's moved to its present location, then called the Railway Exchange Building, in 1911.

With the coming of the Prohibition Era in 1920 plans were made to close the bar. But at the urging of Huber's many patrons, Jim Louie decided to convert the saloon into a restaurant. Although Huber's was primarily a restaurant, it was also a speakeasy. Manhattans were known to be served in coffee cups.

In 1979, Huber's celebrated its 100th anniversary of continuous operation. The arched stained-glass skylight, the solid Philippine mahogany paneling, and the tile floor are original fixtures from 1911.

Huber's today is third-generation owned and operated.

Most of this passage was taken directly from the Huber's website.

The 1905 World's Fair - How it Changed Portland

To celebrate the Lewis and Clark centennial Portland businessmen and politicians grappled political power away from the saloon and brothel owners of the North side and began a city wide clean-up of 'illicit activities' such as gambling and prostitution. These activities were never meant to fully disappear, but by 1905 most were well-hidden from public view as the World's Fair convened in the city. Construction of new hotels and apartment complexes, along with the crackdown on vice in the North Side, meant that many who sought beer and whisky without the threat of violence would do so in the more upscale hotels located on the South side.

The saloons remained prosperous in the North side fueled by the working class men of the city, while the hotels of the South side catered to visitors, local businessmen and most of Portland's politicians.

Today is a different story. The remnants of the old North Side were first replaced with manufacturing and inventory warehouses. Later in the 1990's these buildings were renovated into high-end living and work spaces, known now as the Pearl District. The references to the North and South sides of Portland have virtually disappeared, and more often than not the city now divides itself between East and West, with the Willamette River providing the boundary line.

These photos were advertisements taken from old news clippings around the turn of the century for two of the better known hotels at that time in Portland. These hotels (along with a few others) for many years in the first-half of the 20th century, were the only place people could be legally served hard liquors. It would take new legislation and agreements with liquor distributors in the mid-century before hard liquor was allowed back into the city's taverns and bars.

A Little History Behind Paddy's

Welcome to Paddy's. The building was originally called the Power Building when first constructed. Later in 1888 the 3rd and 4th floors were added as a hardware store. In 1940 the bar became known as the Harbor Bar, and was primarily a gay brothel for many years.

The Harbor bar came with a mezzanine, but in 1979, Richard Stuman, the owner, got rid of the mezzanine. The booths around the windows are actual church pews, but from which church is not known.

The bar inside has two fiberglass pillars that are replicas of the pillars outside of the bar. The bar wall hosts 400 types of liquors. Drinks and food here are guaranteed fresh – due to the fact that this old bar cannot contain a refrigerator large enough - all the better for the customer.

Some Posts from the Past

Another week out of town, another week without posts. Back in seven days. If there is anything about the bars in Portland that you would like to know, that you haven't found so far in my posts, let me know.

Here are some re-posts for new visitors to my blog:

--> Relieving yourself in old Portland

--> What Icons do you find around the city?

--> A shot of history

--> My first time

--> Drunk Driving

The Road Less Traveled to the Horse Brass

Some people are content within the herd. Others are driven by forces within to stray in their own directions.

If you walk far enough down SE Belmont you will come to the Horse Brass Pub. An establishment dedicated to maintaining the true feel of the modern English pub. I sat one early February morning watching football (European, not American) and sharing snifters of aged scotch and cigarettes (for over four hours) with a man who strayed from the herd, the owner of The Horse Brass, Don Younger.

In that morning I learned how the micro brew revolution started here in Oregon back in the 1970’s. A revolution brought about by a group of friends who were strays themselves, men who had the idea of brewing and selling their own styles of beer at a time in which Oly and Blitz were the dominant macro brews of every tavern in Portland. These friends literally all lumped themselves into a car and drove from Portland to Salem to help change some of the antiquated liquor laws of Oregon that prevented the selling and distribution of self-brewed beers. In that car were gentlemen from what became the breweries of Widmer, McMenamin’s, Bridgeport, and of course Don himself.

Throughout the morning Don recounted his life, his failures with previous bars, and some carefully worded aces (a la Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler”) on what makes a man successful, in life, and in business.

As a stray, perhaps that is why his bar is located so far from the downtown area, or perhaps his love of England led him to a location that is geographically closer to those British Isles.

One of those solid “Aces” of advice made it into my book, Shots of Portland. Others will be posted here in the near future.

A Call from Florida

This week I am down in the capitol of Tallahasse on a business trip. The only true nightlife I am able to find are the ever-circling moths that dash about the street light in the parking lot of my hotel as I stagger back from the office at an ungodly hour. As for the bars, though I have not had time to bend an arm in one, I can tell you there is a lot of flavor down here. Catering to both locals, and the Gator alumi.

Things these past weeks have been so-so, McMenamins loved my book, they thought it was great and asked to carry it. The problem however, my book is self-published, making it rather costly to produce on-demand. Unfortunately the price which would have allowed McMemanins to carry the book, would have cost me money, an no where near a break-even. Breaking-even I might have gone with, after all this experience was about creating the book and sharing it. I was never in it for the profits. But time goes on, and soon you might find some copies of the book soon at a local art dealer on SW 10th and Morrison, by the MAX stop. Even if you wouldn't buy it, flip though some pages, and let me know.

The word apparently is getting out as well that I am seeking other like minded individuals to collaborate with me on my next project. It wont be about bars, but I am thinking of something devoted to the streets, and street life in Portland, both from today, and days long passed. If you might be a writer, artist, or photographer and would like to join in this adventure, let me know. I have been contacted by a writer and two photographers to date.

Here is a shout to a website for a photographer who might help on this new collaboration:

www.portlandground.com

Back in a few, and warmer days are ahead.

Spaceroom

From my book:

Every city has a bar that is tucked away from the downtown. A bar where local music bands come to toast themselves after a successful set. The Spaceroom is such a place. A look inside with the walled murals of downtown, the sun rising over Mount Hood, the token black-light stars, moons and hanging Saturn-like sphere over the main bar, and you know you are someplace out of the ordinary.

One night at the Spaceroom I met up with some friends in a local Portland band, Western Aerial. Stiff drinks are the norm here, especially when one knows that a good tip on the first round will ensure no water seeps into the rounds to follow. Back in the corner booth I sat listening to the guys talk about their newest CD release gig that night at Dante’s, the vibe of the crowd, the favorable reviews and mentions in local newspapers.

The groupies, of course, come and go. Still, I occasionally find myself making conversation with one for a minute or two until they discover I am not in the band, and the flirting subsides.

It is a testament to the unknown currents of life, of how one can be down-trodden one minute, and the next on such a high because you are watching people you know and care about do something extraordinary with their lives.

Even if they never are able to conquer to world, I find myself energized from the vibrations that resonate from our corner booth this night. And in this bar, a homage to mystic dreamscapes, spacescapes and stars, I drink with my friends... to my friends.