Dirty Duck, Entertainment building in Portland, US
The Dirty Duck building, originally the Kiernan Building, was a one-story structure at Northwest Third Avenue and Glisan Street in Portland's Old Town Chinatown. Built in 1916–1917, it was a contributing structure to the Portland New Chinatown–Japantown Historic District. It housed Gail's Dirty Duck Tavern, a gay bar, for 25 years until August 2009; the building was demolished after the City Council approved it in February 2010.
The one-story Kiernan Building was constructed in 1916–1917 and later became a contributing structure to the Portland New Chinatown–Japantown Historic District. The Portland Development Commission bought the property in September 1999 for a block redevelopment plan, and in February 2010 the City Council approved demolition by a four-to-one vote despite the Historic Landmarks Commission's recommendation to preserve it.
The building's nickname came from Gail's Dirty Duck Tavern, a gay bar that occupied it for 25 years. "Mama Bernice" bought the bar in 1984, wanting to socialize with the railroaders and seamen she called "bluebirds"; she helped found the Oregon Bears in 1995, which grew from 13 to over 300 members. The bar closed on August 23, 2009.
The building stood at Northwest Third Avenue and Glisan Street in Old Town Chinatown. The Portland Development Commission bought it in 1999, and the City Council approved demolition in February 2010 by a four-to-one vote, so the structure no longer stands; look for the Blanchet House facility built on the block.
Musician Greg Sage ran a studio called 421 Sound in the section of the building later occupied by Crack Press, and recorded three Wipers albums there: Land of the Lost (1986), Follow Blind (1987) and The Circle (1988).
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