Posts by History Department
The Story of “Louie Louie” – Part I
McMenamins Crystal Hotel is filled with imaginative artwork that brings to life musicians who performed on stage at the Crystal Ballroom in downtown Portland over the last century. The story behind this painting by Jonathan Case is one of the most notorious tales of rock & roll history. If you’ve never heard the Kingsmen’s song,…
Read MoreMcMenamins Old St. Francis School Celebrates 86 Years
Happy 86th birthday to McMenamins Old St. Francis School in Bend, Oregon! In 1936, St. Francis School was established as the first parochial school in Central Oregon. For 64 years, the school provided Catholic education from Kindergarten through 8th grade at this location. Then in 2000, the school community moved to a newly built modern…
Read MoreCelebrating Kennedy School’s 25th Anniversary
Happy birthday to Northeast Portland’s McMenamins Kennedy School! The building itself turns 107 and McMenamins is also celebrating the 25th anniversary of the landmark school’s renovation and reopening. Come join the big fun and festivities on Saturday, November 12th! The Kennedy Elementary School building opened in 1915, which was a welcome replacement for the small,…
Read More“I Was There!” – Janis Allen at the Crystal Ballroom, 1968
Over 100 years of history have granted the Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Oregon, with something of a mythology all its own. The Crystal’s psychedelic heyday in the late 1960s lives on in the fantastic, surreal murals throughout the Ballroom and the enduring musical influence of the classic bands who played there. It’s funny to…
Read MoreIndigenous Peoples Day (Celilo Falls)
Today we honor Indigenous Peoples Day and the ancestral homelands across the Pacific Northwest where we now gather. As the McMenamins footprint touches a number of ancestral lands and communities, we are constantly working to learn about the history and rich traditions that came before us and the vibrant cultures of people past, present…
Read MoreThe Real Frankie Baker
Frankie and Johnny were lovers O Lordy, how they could love Swore they’d be true to each other True as the stars up above He was her man But he done her wrong. – From the song, “Frankie and Johnny” Frankie Baker sat by the window, playing a nonstop game of solitaire with a…
Read MoreThe Desert Room’s Delight: Miss Toni Elling
The Desert Room was one of the hottest nightclubs in Portland during the 1950s-60s. Today this space is occupied by Zeus Café within McMenamins Crystal Hotel. If the walls could sing, they would belt out a tune for the vivacious entertainer, Toni Elling. She was a frequent performer in the Desert Room during the 1960s,…
Read MoreSummertime at Edgefield Gardens: An Interview with Kim Kincaid, Garden Manager
Kim Kincaid is the garden manager of McMenamins Edgefield. She has been here since the beginning in 1991, when this former Multnomah County Poor Farm was overgrown with weeds and brambles, like an abandoned castle in a fairytale. With painstaking patience, resourcefulness, and a deep well of creativity, Kim’s indelible green thumbprint can now be…
Read MoreThe Harriman Alaska Expedition of 1899
Calling all scientists, artists, geologists, botanists, photographers, zoologists, and chefs! Want to go on an adventure? Alaska is waiting for you! The 1899 Harriman Expedition to Alaska is the primary subject of this painting displayed at McMenamins Kalama Harbor Lodge. But there is a Kalama connection, too. Artist Cleo Hehn’s colorful sampler of discoveries from…
Read MoreJohn Barleycorns’ Hawaiian Twin
McMenamins John Barleycorns Pub and Brewery in Tigard, Oregon has a distinct and captivating look. It’s like a miniature medieval castle, yet the interior has a tropical flair. What is the inspiration for this curious combination? Mike McMenamin based the design for the John Barleycorns Pub on an unusual pumping station that caught his eye…
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