Joe’s Cellar, one of the better dives/diners in the NW 21st area, will close its doors this weekend after city officials deemed the building too dangerous.
According to an entry dated Thursday on the city’s Portland Maps website, “the building is leaning out and the roof joists have separated from the wall so that the wall is no longer attached to the roof.”
The bar is in full swing tonight, though.
“Sunday is the last hoorah,” said bartender Sara Blanke, who answered the phone at Joe’s this evening. “It’s sad. We all just found out today.”
Blanke said the bar will stay open through Sunday night. If you’re a fan of Joe’s Cellar, and don’t require the walls to connect to the roof in your drinking holes, maybe stop in.
I sure hope Cat Stories finds a new home.
http://www.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2011/08/22/discomfort-zone-i-went-to-a-spoken-word-event-about-cats
Open or not Lisa the Joe’s bartender will still be smokin’.
Outside of course 🙂
how long was the chain link sitting there on the side of the building? couldn’t tell the employee’s then?
Hmm, wonder how long it will be for the building to be magically “fixed” and some trendy, upscale, “boutique” or some such is in there. Looks like somebody is keeping Randy Leonard’s hit squad going.
Ay yi yi. The true dive bar is being hunted to extinction in Portland.
First Hal’s and now this.
What a true shame! Seems many of the historic landmarks are disappearing due to gentrification. Pretty soon Portland will be just like any other city, boring! Absolutely cannot let this happen. I loved Joe’s cafe/karaoke bar, the staff, the regulars, the neighborhood dive that felt like a safe place to go where “everybody knows your name”. A sad goodbye to one of my favorite hang outs!
Thank god the guys that bought the Lutz in Woodstock didn’t make any major changes. It’s a loveable dump now with better food and a better looking clientele.
Waiting for the follow-up story about the sweetheart real estate deal and repurposing of the same building.