Angie's is a classic neighborhood dive housed in a structure built in 1905 that has been home to a bar since shortly after prohibition, which is apparently closing after Saturday June 20 2010, as the state
refuses to renew their liquor license.
The structure was originally a barber shop and pool room -- there were no saloons in the town at the time, as Columbia City was a "dry" town until it was annexed by Seattle in 1907. It begins being listed under bars again in 1958 as Columbia Billards, then The Pink Poodle starting in 1960, and subsequently hosted bars named Alex's Tavern, Bo Jo's, Al Joe's Tavern, and Bert-N-Anne's Tavern. It was renamed Angie's Tavern in 1985.
For many, Angie's happily preserved a bit of the old Columbia City, as the other side of the street became increasingly gentrified. (The racial difference of patrons of the respective sides of Rainier Ave was fairly remarkable at the time). I went on what seemed like the perfect night, catching the last half of game seven of the NBA championship. The crowd seemed pretty evenly split between Celtics and Lakers fans, and I can't imagine that Staples Center was any louder than Angie's on that night. ("Get your ass up off the ground!" "Here they come! Here they come!" "It's irrelevant! It's irrelevant!")
Angie's made Mike Seeley's list of
Seattle's 10 Most Intimidating Dive Bars, and the state liquor board is refusing to renew the tavern's liquor license due to the number of problems with drugs, fights, and gunfire. I don't know how much the existence of Angie's contributed to those problems, but it's a shame to see this place go. After the 2010 closure, the building was razed in August 2013.
4915 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118 - (206) 722-7771
Est. 1985 - Closed 2010 - Building constructed 1905
Previous bars at this location: Pink Poodle, Alex's Tavern, Bo Jo's, Al Joe's Tavern, Bert-N-Anne's Tavern
seattle pi -
uw digital collection -
rainier valley post -
the stranger -
seattlecrime.com -
yelp
#1140 #S686 - Angie's Tavern, Seattle - 6/17/2010
