Darcelle XV Showplace

Images from National Register of Historic Places nomination 

When Walter Cole gave his first drag performance in a small tavern in Old Town in 1969, the stage consisted of two tables bolted to the floor.  The “stage lighting” came from a slide projector.

Now, more than 50 years later, the Darcelle XV Showplace has expanded into a second storefront and  erected a permanent stage with spotlights.  The glitzy-cheap-wacky decorations have grown in scope, as has Cole’s assemblage of self-sewn exotic gowns stored in the basement.

 Along the way, Cole, now 89, has become a Portland icon for developing a nightclub that attracts and charms people of all sexual persuasions.  He also has been a tireless fundraiser for many charities both related and unrelated to sexual interests and difficulties.

 Through it all, Cole “advanced gay acceptance through humor rather than violence or protest,” said Brandon Spencer-Hartle, historic resources program manager for the City of Portland.  Spencer-Hartle  introduced a National Register of Historic Places nomination for Darcelle’s before the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission.

 The National Register nomination relates the importance of Cole’s social  history more than the historic value of the building at 208 N.W. Third Avenue.  It details the long history of and persecution of gay nightclubs in Portland and other cities during the 20th Century.

“As a nightclub and drag venue, the aesthetic of Darcelle XV Showplace reflects the improvised, low-budget, and self-reliant illusion of glamour that resulted from its development during this era when drag was celebrated mostly behind closed doors due to gay discrimination and the threat of harassment…

Walter Cole, 1970

 “Walter Cole, as the proprietor and star drag performer of his club starting in 1969, staked his livelihood on his ability to gain straight allies. He did more than that -- he grew into his role as a community leader even as he stood up for people many disavowed at the time, including transsexuals, performers of color, lesbians, and always, drag performers. Darcelle XV is one of only two drag clubs open prior to 1970 in the United States with an owner who also performed (and is still performing!) as part of the company, and the only one still in the same location today.”

 Cole bought what was then the Demas Tavern in 1967, after urban renewal forced him to move a jazz club from downtown Portland.  It was a tough start.  “All of our gay friends wouldn’t go across Burnside because it was in Skid Road,” Cole said.  Given that it was a neighborhood best known for single men and heavy alcohol consumption, there was little reason for gay people to feel accepted.  That started to change, Cole said, when he hired a tough lesbian bartender who didn’t tolerate guff from anyone. 

" In the end, the club’s location may have enabled it more freedom in an already relatively permissive City," the historians suggest, because there were few families in the area and businesses in the vicinity didn't object to a successful entertainment venue.

According to the nomination’s historical account, “Unlike many gay bars which had a more ‘niche’ clientele, Darcelle XV Showplace was an entertainment venue, creating a place in which a wide variety of people felt comfortable together that was not exclusively a gay bar.  Many publications and other media, including mainstream radio and TV, have touted the club as ‘one of Portland’s must see establishments,’ but perhaps more importantly Darcelle XV Showplace has made a deep impact on many patrons over the years.

“Walter Cole/Darcelle is truly a cultural ambassador, offering not only an opportunity for an evening’s lighthearted fun, but underpinning that entertainment value to become known as a tireless supporter, ‘therapist,’ drag promoter, and philanthropist for the LGBTQ community in Oregon and the west coast.  Darcelle XV illustrates an era when drag helped the gay community make gay discrimination bearable. 

"Darcelle XV Showplace helped convince people that homosexuality was not to be feared or shunned. No similar venue on the west coast or even in the United States has been able to pull in both a ‘straight’ and gay clientele to a gay-owned club so successfully for so long.”

 Cole’s club is believed to the longest-running drag venue in the United States, and Cole is recognized as the nation’s oldest drag queen who still performs.

 The club has been closed during the pandemic.  Don Horn, executive director of Triangle Productions who helped prepare the National Register nomination with Kristen Minor, said the club hopes to reopen “whenever we can, to keep it going as long as possible.”

 Cole chimed in, “Forever.”

 If a state advisory committee approves of the nomination, it will be forwarded to the National Park Service for possible inclusion on the National Register.

 

 Special update:

Last week's report on the draft South Park Blocks Master Plan drew far more reader interest than any other post so far in this blog.  It shows the affection people hold for the park.

The city will accept comments on the plan only until June 29.  Please review the plan at this site, and then scroll down to the box that says "Take the Survey."  Please enter your comments after checking the various boxes.   This planning process deserves public attention.

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/2aa14af546b543d99225798af7c367ae

Historic elements that are in jeopardy to some degree in the draft plan: 

1. Open Space adaptable to a variety of uses for the enjoyment of all.

2. Well-defined Boundaries

3. Deciduous Trees in Ordered Ranks

4. Simple Means

5. Arched-canopies encouraging long vistas