You can hear The 1905 before you see it. Tucked behind a squat iron gate on N Shaver St, it seems like any other hole-in-the-wall pizza place in Portland, Oregon — except for the music. Inside the small restaurant, a wall of sound hits from the stage to your left while some patrons lean in to hear each other above the wailing saxophone solo and energetic drum fills. But most quietly bask in the music — jazz is what they have all come to see.
Unfortunately, the 1905 has played host to its last show. As of Nov. 16, 2023, it was announced that the club will close for good due to financial troubles.
The 1905 was the sole jazz-only club open seven days a week in Portland. Founded in 2016, the club opened as a pizzeria that showcased live music. It initially hosted hip-hop deejays, but owner Aaron Barnes quickly started inviting local jazz artists to perform, and soon The 1905 switched to jazz exclusively.
With nightly shows throughout the club’s seven years, The 1905 saw an abundance of musicians come through. Some were renowned, such as Domo Branch, a local drummer established in the international jazz scene with his band Branchin’ Out. Iconic trumpet player Wynton Marsalis also performed at The 1905 in February 2022.
The club provided a platform for youth musicians too. The Beaumont Middle School jazz bands, led by Cynthia Plank, performed at The 1905 for years. High schoolers attended jam nights for the chance to play with professionals in an open and welcoming environment, boosting their confidence and skills.
Unfortunately, like so many other small businesses, the COVID-19 pandemic hit The 1905 hard. In an effort to help The 1905’s financial status, Barnes opened two more local restaurants: Italian restaurant Scholar in September 2022, and sports bar Hopscotch in February 2023. Both closed and were ineffective in increasing revenue for The 1905.
Later in July 2023, Branch started a GoFundMe — an online fundraising platform — for 1905, with a goal of $100,000.
“The 1905 (is an) unbelievably soulful local spot. We need your support. We can’t afford to lose this bastion of culture, where people come and swing and eat and have a good time,” says Marsalis in a support video.
On Oct. 18, 2023, The 1905’s musicians and patrons were shocked to receive an email from Barnes stating that the club would be forced to permanently close if the GoFundMe didn’t receive another $50,000 by 4 p.m. the next day. Thousands more dollars were donated in the next 24 hours, and soon after The 1905’s Instagram account made another post, with a caption that read:
“Thanks to the generosity of our community, The 1905 will remain open … All shows are happening! See you soon, and thank you!”
The GoFundMe sat at over $67,000, and The 1905’s community was frustrated over the lack of clarity with where their money had gone.
“I think we need more transparency on donation usage and other funds and also why the statement was put out yesterday,” says one comment on the Instagram post, a sentiment echoed by dozens of others in the comment section.
Not even a month later, on Nov. 16, The 1905 made another Instagram post announcing their definite closure.
“Despite our sincerest efforts to overcome challenges, we couldn’t sustain our journey. With heartfelt gratitude to our incredible community, dedicated staff, and supportive advisory board, we extended our journey for another month, inching closer to the envisioned sustainable 1905. Regrettably, financial constraints hindered us from reaching that milestone. We express our profound thanks for the cherished memories we’ve created together. Thank you for everything.”
The back-and-forth was frustrating for 1905 employees and musicians especially. Former workers flocked to the comments to expose the club for continuously bouncing their checks and giving them no warning on the closure. Musicians, too, reported missing checks.
“As someone who was employed and abruptly told we were closed after this fiasco – The amount of love and support The 1905 and Aaron are getting on this post is insane to see. I just wish everyone here truly knew what was even happening. I’m only one part time employee and I am owed $1350 … I have full blown text proof that him threatening to close last month was purely a capital raising publicity stunt,” a former employee commented on Instagram.
Barnes has not responded to requests for an interview, nor responded to any of the Instagram comments.
Despite a lack of candor and reliability with its employees and customers, one fact remains: The loss of The 1905 is a loss for the entire Portland jazz community.
