We’ve just heard word another Southwest Stark Street gay bar, the rough-n-leather friendly Eagle PDX, is biting the big one, just three weeks after Silverado closed.
That leaves just two gay bars— Scandal’s and Boxxes/Brig—left on a street that once was the center of the gay scene (there used to be at least seven).
According to Eagle PDX owner, Karl Wilgus, the bar will move next to Casey’s on Northwest Sixth Avenue into “The Tunnel” which up to now has been a DJ venue.
Here is what Wilgus just emailed me:
After nearly 22 years on Burnside, Eagle PDX will move in the next few weeks to it’s new location, 27 NW 6TH. The decision was made Tuesday to move the bar because of our failure to gain a long term lease, market conditions, rumors about the building being sold/ torn down as well as badly needed repairs such as heat and air conditioning.Eagle PDX will carry on in the space currently occupied by “The Tunnel”. We expect it to be open as the new Eagle PDX by the end of February.
In Dec. of 2006 Wilgus told WW in a Queer Window column about what was then predicted to be a closure in Feb. of last year: “We aren’t closing,” says Karl Wilgus, the 43-year-old who has owned the bar over the past two years. Wilgus told me he’s moving the Eagle closer to the queer bars that dot Old Town, like the Dirty Duck. “It’s not my choice to move, but at least we’ll still have the Eagle.”
Or two.
Fat Cobra’s Pat Lanagan owns the Eagle Portland in North Portland, the “official” home for the Oregon Bears.
The Boxxes/Brig stopped being a "real" gay bar back in the mid 90s. They attract more straight yuppies than gay men.
The Eagle PDXs new owner for the past couple of years has only survived to the fact that his past employees worked for FREE to help keep bussiness open. Work a 30 some hour and not be paid for a year, ask for the money and he then fires you.
Portlands gay community cannot afford to be scammed on.
Lee I will agree with you, did the same thing to me. Worked for him for over a year for free. This man does not pay his employees. The Eagle probably closed because he financially mucked it up. The man makes very poor bussiness decisions, hireing his future employees by sexual interest… I dont see how that does our community any good. As over time this has proven to be a wrong decision on his part because the Eagle that he move his closed. The employee he hired damaged the reputation, what little was left and now The eagle down town is closed and cases have been won for non payment of employees. I am posting this because the decisions of this owner to not pay his employees has caused his past employees great financial grief