A 1912 Swedish Church That Became Oregon's First Theater Pub
A tour through a 1912 Swedish tabernacle that housed Portland's dockworkers before it became Oregon's first theater pub.
🎬 Sunday at the Mission
⛪ A Church Built to Be Sold
Six Swedish immigrants formed the congregation in 1887, outgrew their rented downtown rooms, and dedicated this brick tabernacle on February 18, 1912, on the site of their first wooden church at NW 17th and Glisan. Sunday drew 500 to 700 people for school, choir, and an evening service in Swedish. The parish built plainly, planning for resale, and the congregation left for NE 45th and Burnside in 1954. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places.
🚢 The Strike That Filled the Hall
The pews came out in 1954 for the longshoremen of Local No. 8, who hired crews twice a day from the main floor and stopped waterfront work on meeting nights. During the 1971 coast-wide strike, 130 days long, the main floor became a clearinghouse for picket assignments and the basement stored dry food for striking families. Before McMenamins took over, a short-lived acting company called the Heart Theater brought art and entertainment back to the building, and the official tour notes its residency may or may not have had something to do with "the Scottish Play." McMenamins opened the Mission as Oregon's first theater pub in June 1987; an early Bogart film festival drew thin crowds, and the venue pivoted to cheap second-run movies.
🎟️ Timing, Stairs, and Tickets
The tour traces the building's three lives, from Swedish church to longshoremen's hall to theater pub, and the art the old playhouse still recalls. McMenamins publishes no fixed route, so which rooms open varies session to session; the walk may head up to the balcony or down to the basement, and it can include stairs and long stretches of standing. Doors open about 15 minutes before the 1:00 PM start at the main doors, 1624 NW Glisan St; entry may not be guaranteed after 1 PM. Plan 60 to 75 minutes and 20 dollars, and children 3 and older need their own ticket. Passport holders collect the Mission Theater location stamp and an Attend a History Sponsored Event stamp. Private groups can write tours@mcmenamins.com. The nearest stop is NW 18th & Lovejoy on the NS line, about six minutes on foot.
