When she was 15, her father handed her an ad from a local Portland, Oregon newspaper for a new opportunity to use her voice to earn “pocket money.” By answering that ad, Katherine Horswell began what would become later in life an odd, shirttail relationship with McMenam- ins known for its restaurants/breweries, wineries, and concert/movie venues in both Oregon and Washington. The ad that Horswell answered was for funeral soloist at the Little Chapel of the Chimes. There, Katherine continued for 35 years to pro- vide comforting song during services. “Yes, it was certainly a bizarre part-time job for anyone,” Katherine admits. “But, it provided total flex- ibility over the years to balance college at PSU, singing internationally with Bruce Kelly’s New Oregon singers, and ultimately starting a family, so it was great!” She quickly added, “but don’t think funeral directors didn’t enjoy a joke at the expense of a young girl. They tried all kinds of tricks to scare me, but it never worked.” That longtime funeral home now houses McMenamins’ headquarters, along with a pub and brewery. Upon finding out these new develop- ments, Katherine gathered several friends to see whether the pipe or- gan, which the fabled “Mrs. Webster” had played over so many years, was still there. Strangely enough, she said, the same instrument re- mains and is still played on special occasions. Rewind even further to when Katherine was a kindergartener, wander- ing the halls of Northeast Portland’s Kennedy Elementary School (now McMenamins Kennedy School). There, the young Katherine stepped into the classroom of Mrs. Martha Jordan, one of the first African Amer- ican teachers to work in a primarily white public school in Portland. “She formed the fundamentals and expectations I measured all future teachers with,” remembers Horswell. “She loved us, she hugged us, and she made us feel important and that we were all good in her eyes.” In touring the school-turned-hospitality destination, she and her best friend, Kathleen, reminisced about Maypole dances and marveled on the evolution of their old school. In her teen years, Katherine changed high schools from Grant to Park- rose. In those formative times, she was unaware that her Uncle Nate and Aunt Tillie Zusman were the gatekeepers to and owners of what is now well documented as the most notorious nightclub in the history of Portland’s extraordinarily checkered past: The Desert Room. Located downtown at SW 12th Ave and Stark St, The Desert Room was the unofficial hub of the city’s political, underworld, and West Hills powerbases. Katherine’s sense of humor took hold as she delighted in taking unsuspecting school dance dates into the club, under the guise of showing Aunt Tillie the dress she had picked out for the evening affair. They were ushered into a den of hedonism where national en- tertainers like Sammy Davis Jr. performed while the police vice squad kept watch as dancers paraded on stage. Customers were handpicked like a vintage version of the velvet rope at New York’s famed Studio 54. The underaged Katherine and her date for that night were seated in what was affectionately coined “Katherine’s Corner,” situated by the back door should the establishment receive a visit from the OLCC. Decades later, McMenamins acquired the storied property in order to piggyback on the popularity of its Crystal Ballroom, just one block away (which McMenamins had reopened in 1997). Hearing that the old Desert Room building had been purchased, Katherine’s son, Richard, contacted McMenamins Historian Tim Hills. A three-hour interview was scheduled, where Katherine offered photos and a historical perspec- tive on the building. Company leadership pondered the recording and Katherine’s continual reference to “Zus” (pronounced ‘Zeus’), which was her uncle’s nickname for Tillie. In 2011, McMenamins refurbished the space within the Crystal Hotel, and crowned it Zeus Café (now Hal’s). Katherine’s visits to the location now include ordering the “Til- lie Sandwich,” as she remembers the homage of hospitality that Mc- Menamins has curated with “total grace.” Horswell’s accidental relationship with the company has ignited won- derful memories from the past as she curiously wonders, “what will they do next?”
THREE DEGREES OF HISTORY
Katherine Horswell with a photo of her Uncle Nate Zusman she donated to McMenamins for display in its Crystal Hotel. The mural on the building featured her Aunt Tillie as part of
its original branding for the property. PHOTO: Cameron Perkins Photography INSET: Regency
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