Red Cap Garage Explained

Red Cap Garage
Logo Image:File:Red Cap Garage (Portland, Oregon) logo.jpg
Pushpin Map:Portland downtown
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Portland, Oregon
Address:1035 Southwest Stark Street
Location:Portland, Oregon, United States
Coordinates:45.5223°N -122.6817°W
Opened:1987
Closed:August 18, 2012

Red Cap Garage, sometimes abridged as Red Cap, was a gay bar and nightclub that operated in Portland, Oregon, from 1987 to 2012. The bar was connected to two others called Boxxes and the Brig. It hosted drag queen shows, live music, special events, and viewing parties. In 2012, the bar was sold and closed after operating for 25 years, and the building which housed Red Cap was gutted to make way for the retail alley known as Union Way.

Description and history

Red Cap Garage, established in 1987, occupied a building which once housed a taxicab company.[1] The bar faced Stark Street and was connected to two others called Boxxes and the Brig,[2] [3] [4] and the restaurant Fish Grotto.[5] [6] In 2008, Out Traveler Jason Rowan described the three establishments as: "interconnected bars offer[ing] one-stop shopping: twink go-go boys in Boxxes, dirty smokers in Red Cap, and late-night clubbing at the Brig. Good-natured, sauced-up fun reigns in this trampy labyrinth, especially during Tuesday night drink specials."[7]

Red Cap held events like "Bearracuda", "Peep Show", "Portland Drag Race", "Portland Idol",[8] and "Queerlandia", and hosted disc jockeys[9] as well as the drag queens Joey Arias, Lady Bunny, and Sherry Vine.[10] It also hosted RuPaul's Drag Race participants and viewing parties of the reality competition television series.[10] [11]

In June 2010, the bar's events manager started a project allowing bias crime victims to report incidents to a trained "ally" at Red Cap, following an attack on six gay men who were assaulted after leaving the establishment.[12]

In 2012, rumors began circulating about Red Cap's possible sale and closure. The bar's plans were confirmed on Facebook in a statement which read, in part:

The nightclub closed on August 18, 2012, after operating for 25 years.[13] The buildings that housed Red Cap and Aura, a nightclub facing Burnside Street, were gutted to create the retail alley Union Way.[14] [15]

Reception

In 2011, Willamette Week Ruth Brown said, "Red Cap Garage still parties like it's 1987. The crowd is generally younger and less hairy than at nearby Scandals, but the huge, heaving sunken dance floor welcomes all comers—from queens to hags—while the entertainment ranges from bingo nights to all-male revues to simply sitting on the heated front patio watching unsuspecting tourists and yuppies wander in off the street—then quickly run out again."[16] In 2012, Red Cap and Aura were co-nominated for the Q Means Business Award at the Q Center's Winter Gala Awards.[17]

In an article confirming the bar's closure, Marjorie Skinner of The Portland Mercury wrote: "While Red Cap was mainly a queer bar, I know I'm not the only ally who will miss it—the people there were always welcoming, the food was totally decent, and the drinks were (sometimes dangerously) cheap (where oh where will I escape to now when Clyde Common is too packed/expensive/stop 'n' chatty??)." PQ Monthly Daniel Borgen called Red Cap a "Stark Street staple for much of our modern gay history".[10] Furthermore, he said of the bar and its closure:

Notes and References

  1. News: Redden. Jim. Retail alley opens in city's West End. May 14, 2016. Portland Tribune. August 15, 2013. Pamplin Media Group. Portland, Oregon. 46708462. https://web.archive.org/web/20180615135307/https://portlandtribune.com/pt/9-news/159155-retail-alley-opens-in-citys-west-end. June 15, 2018. live.
  2. Breen. Matthew. Gayest Cities in America, 2012. The Advocate. January 9, 2012. May 14, 2016. Here Media. 0001-8996. https://web.archive.org/web/20160524110249/http://www.advocate.com/travel/2012/01/09/gayest-cities-america-2012. May 24, 2016. live.
  3. News: Oppegaard. Brett. How We Play: Nightclubs galore; The chances are good you can find a spot that caters to your musical tastes in the Vancouver-Portland area. https://web.archive.org/web/20160911123318/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-23231071.html. dead. September 11, 2016. May 14, 2016. The Columbian. Columbian Publishing Co.. February 23, 2003. Vancouver, Washington.
  4. Book: Let's Go Pacific Northwest Adventure. December 13, 2004. Macmillan. 94. 9780312335649. 1. May 14, 2016.
  5. News: Red Cap Garage. May 30, 2016. The Portland Mercury. Index Publishing. Portland, Oregon. https://web.archive.org/web/20160805044218/http://www.portlandmercury.com/locations/38362/red-cap-garage. August 5, 2016. live.
  6. Web site: Beck. Byron. Closing Report: Fez Ballroom & Sand Bar Have Shuttered. GoLocalPDX. May 30, 2016. September 7, 2014. Byron Beck (blogger). https://web.archive.org/web/20160630081739/http://www.golocalpdx.com/food/closing-report-fez-ballroom-sand-bar-have-served-their-last-drinks. June 30, 2016. live.
  7. Rowan. Jason. When in Portland. Out Traveler. June 8, 2008. May 14, 2016. Here Media. https://web.archive.org/web/20160624034349/http://www.outtraveler.com/portland/2008/6/07/exclusive-when-inportland. June 24, 2016. live.
  8. "Portland Idol":
    • Web site: Beck. Byron. The Real Contest: Portland Idol at Red Cap Garage. ByronBeck.com. May 14, 2016. May 25, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20160530172919/http://www.byronbeck.com/home/1136-the-real-contest-portland-idol-at-red-cap-garage.html. May 30, 2016. live.
    • Web site: Wrap It Up: Portland Idol Finale Tonight at Red Cap. July 29, 2010. Byron. Beck. May 14, 2016. ByronBeck.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20160530172605/http://www.byronbeck.com/home/525-wrap-up-portland-idol-finale-tonight-at-red-cap.html. May 30, 2016. live.
  9. Disc jockeys:
    • News: Get Your Gay On!. June 13, 2002. May 30, 2016. The Portland Mercury. https://web.archive.org/web/20160805024442/http://www.portlandmercury.com/news/get-your-gay-on/Content?oid=27060. August 5, 2016. live.
    • News: Live Music Listings. September 4, 2003. May 14, 2016. The Portland Mercury. https://web.archive.org/web/20160610090157/http://www.portlandmercury.com/music/live-music-listings/Content?oid=29746. June 10, 2016. live.
    • News: Live Music/DJ Listings. May 14, 2016. The Portland Mercury. November 10, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20160610083004/http://www.portlandmercury.com/music/live-musicdj-listings/Content?oid=35342. June 10, 2016. live.
    • News: Live Music/DJ Listings. November 17, 2005. May 14, 2016. The Portland Mercury. https://web.archive.org/web/20160610093113/http://www.portlandmercury.com/music/live-musicdj-listings/Content?oid=35409. June 10, 2016. live.
  10. Borgen. Daniel. Update: Red Cap Garage and Aura Sold, Red Cap Releases Statement. PQ Monthly. July 30, 2012. May 14, 2016. Portland, Oregon. Brilliant Media. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304045750/http://www.pqmonthly.com/breaking-red-cap-garage-sold-closing-august-18th/5576. March 4, 2016. usurped.
  11. Web site: Schneider. Ruth. Start Your Engines! Join RuPaul's Drag Race Viewing Parties from Coast to Coast. May 14, 2016. February 10, 2010. NewNowNext.com. Logo TV (Viacom International). https://web.archive.org/web/20160630202846/http://www.newnownext.com/start-your-engines-join-rupauls-drag-race-viewing-parties-from-coast-to-coast/02/2010/. June 30, 2016. live.
  12. News: Giddings. Caitlyn. Stark Reality: Gay bars try to make patrons feel safe after attack.. May 14, 2016. Willamette Week. City of Roses Newspapers. June 8, 2010. Portland, Oregon. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304075902/http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-12087-stark_reality.html. March 4, 2016. live.
  13. Ferber. Lawrence. Business Profile: Jeff Miller. Passport. May 14, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160604074116/http://gay.passportmagazine.com/business-profile-jeff-miller/. June 4, 2016. live.
  14. News: Jackson. Reed. West End nightspots to be converted into retail space. May 14, 2016. Daily Journal of Commerce. The Dolan Company. August 22, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20160531004428/http://djcoregon.com/news/2012/08/22/west-end-night-spots-to-be-converted-to-retail-space/. May 31, 2016. live.
  15. News: Russell. Michael. Boxer Ramen a step forward for Portland ramen (review). May 14, 2016. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. January 1, 2014. Portland, Oregon. 8750-1317. https://web.archive.org/web/20160429143548/http://www.oregonlive.com/dining/index.ssf/2014/01/boxer_ramen_a_step_forward_for_1.html. April 29, 2016. live.
  16. News: Brown. Ruth. Drink 2011: Red Cap Garage. May 14, 2016. Willamette Week. January 25, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20160701213937/http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-16823-drink-2011-red-cap-garage.html. July 1, 2016. live.
  17. Web site: Lynn. Logan. 1/13/2012 : The Nominations for the 2012 Winter Gala Awards are in! Look Who's Nominated This Year!. Q Center. May 14, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161011081432/http://www.pdxqcenter.org/the-nominations-for-the-2012-winter-gala-awards-are-in-look-whos-nominated-this-year/. October 11, 2016. live. Logan Lynn.

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