Our McMenamins artists having been painting new historically based panels for the Crystal Hotel (opening in May 2011) for months now. Below, artist Lyle Hehn gives a slightly mysterious explanation of one of his latest pieces...
This painting is intended for the Zeus Cafe, which will be on the ground floor of the building made triangular by the intersections of Stark and Burnside Streets and Twelfth Avenue in Portland, Oregon.
In 2006 McMenamins moved their corporate headquarters to a former wedding chapel and mortuary in North Portland. Finally, in May of 2010, a new "McMenamins" sign has replaced the words "THE LITTLE CHAPEL OF THE CHIMES" above the door to the offices.
After the usual false starts and frustrated erasures, the local radio station began to play some rousing music, and it all fell together.
The explanation for this picture is complicated. Stop reading now if you value highly every second of your life.
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What’s the name of the Kennedy brewery? The Concordia Brewery, named for the surrounding neighborhood. McMenamins has a full-time historian on staff. He collects stories, photos, anecdotes and more about McMenamins spots, past and present. “Wine is bottled poetry.” -- Robert Louis Stevenson Queen Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII, was said to be able to drink any man under the table. You show ‘em, Betsy! Which beer is our best-selling ale? Hammerhead, of course. Have a pint or two today! “Wine is bottled poetry.” -- Robert Louis Stevenson The Centzon-Totochtin (“Infinite Rabbits”) was an Aztec group that represented the ways humans are affected by intoxication. Does each McMenamins pub brew beer? Nope – only our brewpubs and breweries do. They supply our other spots. How many McMenamins are there in the Seattle area? Three – Mill Creek, Six Arms and Queen Anne. What was the very first McMenamins pub, opened by Mike and Brian McMenamin? The Barley Mill on SE Hawthorne in Portland. Give it up for St. Arnold, the patron saint of brewers! His miracle was a tankard of ale that never ran dry… Put him on the invite list. “We borrowed golf from Scotland as we borrowed whiskey. Not because it is Scottish, but because it is good.” -- Horace Hutchinson “Give me a woman who truly loves beer and I will conquer the world.” – Kaiser Wilhelm II At the Grand Lodge, the mosaics in the basement hallways were inspired by the work of Spanish artist Antonio Gaudi.
