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The Crystal Hotel, the 1911 flatiron building on Southwest 12th and Burnside, has lived a lot of lives: tire shop, bathhouse and hotel, and its current iteration as a McMenamins property.
This weekend the Crystal Hotel will honor the chapter of its history around the 1970s, when it was the Majestic Hotel and Club Baths. As announced last year, the Crystal Hotel has received a special designation from the National Register of Historic Places as a significant LGBTQ+ site. The official plaque just arrived and it’s Pride Month, so McMenamins is taking the opportunity to hold an induction ceremony and throw a big party. The hotel will celebrate with—what else?—a drag brunch hosted by Poison Waters.
On Sunday, June 22, McMenamins Crystal Hotel happenings will include a historical tour of the neighborhood, the induction ceremony on Pride Plaza, and the drag brunch on the patio of Hal’s Café. Poison Waters (who was awarded an honorary degree from Portland State University on June 14) has been performing at current and past versions of the Crystal Hotel for decades, so it’s only fitting that she be the one to emcee the festivities, according to Caitlin Popp, McMenamins’ tour guide manager.
“We bring her back for special events because she’s a part of our hearts and our history in this space,” Popp says.
The Crystal Hotel is one of only three designated historic LGBTQ+ locations in Portland so far, along with Old Town’s Darcelle XV Showplace and Normandale Park’s Erv Lind Field. Crystal Hotel originally received its place on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. It became a McMenamins property in 2011.
GO: McMenamins’ LGBTQ+ National Register of Historic Places Induction Ceremony, Tour, and Drag Brunch at the Crystal Hotel, 303 SW 12th Ave., 503-972-2670, mcmenamins.com/crystal-hotel. 10 am tour, 11:30 induction ceremony, noon brunch Sunday, June 22. $10 tour, induction ceremony and drag show free.