Opened in May 1911 as the Princess Theatre, the 300-seat house at Sixth and Burnside was one of several semi-fireproof picture shows built in Portland that year and the first downtown to comply with new fire codes. Run by the Saxe Amusement Company, it began life as a silent-film theatre before embarking on one of the most colourful careers of any building in the city. By 1939 it had taken the name Star and shifted to live burlesque, with performers including Tempest Storm gracing its stage; it briefly closed under a reforming mayor before reopening in 1953. From the late 1960s it operated as an adult cinema with strippers, and in the 1970s it experimented with everything from underground films to controversial live shows. Among its many names over the decades were the Four-Star, the New Star and the Star Burlesk. The Star also left a mark on Oregon law. It was at the centre of the 1987 state Supreme Court case City of Portland v. Tidyman, a ruling that broadened the state's free-speech protections and helped shape the legal landscape that allowed adult clubs to proliferate in Portland. After closing, the building spent years as a storage space, for a time owned by filmmaker Gus Van Sant. In 2011, on the venue's hundredth anniversary, Dante's owner Frank Faillace bought and restored the theatre, reopening it as a live music and performance space with a capacity of around 500. The renovation kept the vaulted ceilings, long red curtains and second-storey lounge while adding modern sound, and today the Star hosts touring bands, comedy, opera and burlesque, a dignified new chapter for one of Portland's most resilient entertainment rooms. The restoration was the work of Frank Faillace, whose Portland network also includes Dante's and the Lucky Devil Lounge, and it leaned into the room's vintage character: high ceilings, plush red curtains hiding soundproofing panels and a second-storey lounge. City ordinances meant the bright star that once topped the tall sign could not be reinstated, but the lower marquee was relit. The reborn club paired strong sound with cheap drinks, a large patio and a kitchen turning out bento boxes, and it operates as a 21-and-over room hosting touring bands, comedy, opera and the city's burlesque scene most nights of the week.

Type: Theater / Concert Hall

Address: 13 NW Sixth Avenue, Portland, OR, United States, 97209

Telephone: 503-248-4700

Website: https://www.startheaterportland.com

Capacity: 500

Opening Date: 01/05/1911