Another McMenamin's building is the Crystal Ballroom (right around the corner, at 14th & Burnside). It was built in 1914 as a ballroom; and dance revivals were held there through the Great Depression. In the early 1960s, new acts were brought in, such as gypsy brass bands and R&B performers, such as James Brown, Marvin Gaye, and Ike & Tina Turner.
In 1967, largely psychedelic acts such as the Grateful Dead, Blue Cheer, and The Electric Prunes performed in the ballroom. This was cut short in 1968, due to concerns about what such music was doing to the youth of Portland. Now it features a bar/restaurant on the first floor, a brewery and a new dance floor on the second floor, and the restored main ballroom on the third floor. The main ballroom features a mechanical "floating" dance floor, thought to be the only one on the West Coast, and is the only one still in existence in the United States. Let me know if you want to take a look at that one as well.
In 1967, largely psychedelic acts such as the Grateful Dead, Blue Cheer, and The Electric Prunes performed in the ballroom. This was cut short in 1968, due to concerns about what such music was doing to the youth of Portland. Now it features a bar/restaurant on the first floor, a brewery and a new dance floor on the second floor, and the restored main ballroom on the third floor. The main ballroom features a mechanical "floating" dance floor, thought to be the only one on the West Coast, and is the only one still in existence in the United States. Let me know if you want to take a look at that one as well.