The history of Portland’s 24-Hour Church of Elvis has been marked by frequent closures and relocations, so it’s not a huge surprise that its most recent incarnation in downtown’s Goldsmith Blocks is now shuttered.
Stephanie G. Pierce’s oddball vending machine/art gallery/wedding chapel is definitely a vestige of old weird Portland—not new weird Portland, which is not actually all that weird—and it’s been located, variously, at SW Washington, Ankeny Alley, an upstairs storefront on Ankeny, and, since 2008, in the Goldsmith building at 4th and Couch. Most incarnations hinged on Pierce’s interactive, coin-operated displays, though for a time she offered both real and fake weddings from the upstairs Ankeny museum. (I think I might’ve married a gay friend there when I was in high school?)
I don’t have any info on the closure, aside from some unverified rumors; I’m gonna poke around a bit and I’ll update if anything interesting turns up.
In the meantime, here’s an awesome/adorable piece from KBOO’s archives about Pierce’s 1991 attempt to run a booth at the Rose Festival. It’s pretty priceless.
Word is that Bailey’s is going to take it over and have a private event/beer dinner space, etc…
Naw, it’ll be a McMenamins.
I went to the Church of Elvis when I was in high school and Duran Duran wandered in and the lady kicked them out because it was too crowded.
They’re shutting down all the WRONG places in dt. Why is Dixie tavern and the PPB office across the street from it still allowed to be open???
We should all stand and salute this long, complex, thoughtful, zany and deeply ironic jest by Stephanie Pierce.
She definitely still did weddings as of last year…on the sidewalk. Saw one from my office in the neighborhood. Super crazy, prone to tirades, but I agree, the Church brought the weird.
Seriously Joneser, if that story is true, you just became even more of a glorious hero in my mind then you already were. Which was in like the top 50 all-time glorious heroes (in my mind).