The Venue Formerly Known as Slabtown Was Demolished Yesterday

Reddit

Last night Reddit user SharkRancher (great name) posted this photo of endearingly divey former all-ages venue Slabtown being demolished. Many commenters wistfully reminisced, while others bade farewell and good riddance to the space. The building’s demolition isn’t surprising—Slabtown officially closed its doors back in late 2014. Owner Doug Rogers eulogized, “We strove to make Slabtown a welcoming place for traditionally marginalized people from all walks of life—youth, members of the LGBTQ community, women, persons of color, persons with developmental disabilities or mental health issues, and the working class—in both our general culture and booking policy.” Two years later we’re still grappling with how to preserve spaces like Slabtown that include and support people of all-ages. This weekend marks the Launch Party for Friends of Noise, a new group that will host all-ages concerts in different neighborhoods around the city (check out our article on Friends of Noise here). This snapshot is an admittedly gloomy illustration of the state of all-ages venues in Portland, but we’re lucky to have community members striving to preserve an all-ages friendly scene despite the city’s rapidly changing landscape.