One of Portland's two Eagles is about to bite the dust.

According to an e-mail this afternoon from owner Karl Wilgus to supporters of his Chinatown gay entertainment complex, Wilgus has decided to close Eagle PDX, a long-running gay bar for the leather-and-bear set that the owner reckons has been open more or less continually since 1987. "It is now time to face reality and admit that The Eagle's time has passed," Wilgus wrote in his email. "There just wasn't enough support to justify having the bar open on a regular basis."

PDX Eagle's incarnation prior to its current home (underneath Casey's at NW 6th and Couch, also owned by Wilgus), was at a rather, umm, notorious location at SW 13th and Burnside. That "Eagle" bar, which closed in 2007, featured an oversize human cage, naked pool nights and a leather sling hoisted high above the bar. It was favored by everyone from the young hipster queer set (in its later days) to leather-bound bears and their fawning admirers, as well as power players from the city's arts and business scenes out for a wild night (and it was almost always a wild night).

Wilgus' PDX Eagle encountered stiff competition in recent years from NoPo newcomer Eagle Portland, owned by Pat Lanagan. Lanagan's Eagle - which still roosts over at 835 N. Lombard - serves much of the same set the "old Eagle" attracted (especially on Naked Pool night: that would be tomorrow, Thursday, 8 pm onward). Wilgus faced other challenges, including a battery of legal claims from former employees regarding allegations of nonpayment of wages.

Though Wilgus' Eagle and its "host" bar, Casey's, might be going under, his e-mail alluded to the possibility of new beginnings in his complex: he signs his e-mail from "Karl Wilgus and The Entire Eagle / Casey's and now Scoreboard staff," which seems to suggest he's keen on reopening under a new name (though maybe he hasn't bothered to check with the owners over at Scoreboard Sports Bar at 4822 SE Division before announcing his new venture?)

In any event... RIP Eagle PDX! The end of an era. Wilgus' swan song e-mail is after the jump...

Hello Folks

Many of the people on this email list have supported us for years, and we truly appreciate that. We have gotten to know many of you on a personal level, and built friendships that we value. Others have been customers of the Eagle for years, but have been less than happy with the direction that bar has gone over the past months or years. And yet still others have made the transition and supported both Eagle and Casey's.

Ever since I have been involved in the Eagle, I have heard stories of the old days, what it used to be like. Both when John SR. owned it, and then when JR. had it. It has been through many stages. Dress Codes, Leather, Rubber, stories of the pool table and jail cell, naked pool, sewers backing up, Crisco cans, slings ... you name it and it has probably happened at The Eagle.

We thought that the bar would be able to transition to the new location, under Casey's, but for the last several months, The Eagle PDX Underground has been open only for event nights. There just wasn't enough support to justify having the bar open on a regular basis. So we could only open it when we were sure that there was enough business to pay for it's operation.

Well, times change and it is now time to face reality and admit that The Eagle's time has passed. Perhaps if there had been this or that, things would have been different, but for whatever reason, there is not support and we have decided to close the bar and sell off it's assets.

In the mean time, we are going to open it two more weekends, both Friday and Saturday nights. We invite you back to say goodbye to a bar that has served the community since 1987 (I think) and take pictures, socialize etc. If you have some special memory of the Eagle, feel free to share it with us... if there is something that you would like to own, let us know and we may sell it to you.

We will make an announcement in the coming month or so as to the direction that space and our company will take. But in the mean time, I personally want to thank each and every one of you for your support. We wish you the very best

Karl Wilgus and
The Entire Eagle / Casey's and now Scoreboard staff

27 NW 6Th
Portland, OR 97209
(Corner of NW 6th and Couch)

503 241 0105