Blue Moon Tavern

The Blue Moon is a tavern located on the west edge of the University District, Seattle, Washington, that has been visited by many counterculture icons over the years. It opened in April 1934, soon after the repeal of Prohibition in December 1933, as the first and oldest remaining tavern in the U-District. It was an instant hit with students (together with the still-thriving Duchess Tavern in Ravenna); under state law, students had to trek one mile from the campus to purchase drinks. The Blue Moon was one of the rare bars outside of the Central District to serve African American servicemen during World War II. The tavern also provided a haven for UW professors such as Joe Butterworth who were caught up in the McCarthyist purge. It had further heyday in the 1950s and 1960s. Regulars included author Tom Robbins and poets Theodore Roethke, Richard Hugo, Carolyn Kizer, Stanley Kunitz, and David Wagoner. Visitors included Dylan Thomas, Ken Kesey and Allen Ginsberg.A popular story states that sometime in the late 1960s, Tom Robbins tried to call the artist Pablo Picasso in Barcelona from a pay phone at the Blue Moon Tavern. Supposedly, Robbins got through to Picasso, but the artist refused to accept the overseas collect calling charges. The Blue Moon declined in the 1970s. Efforts to "redevelop" the property in 1989 were derailed by community activists led by Walt Crowley; however, an attempt in 1990 to gain landmark status failed. Developers spared the tavern after landmark status was denied. The "Moon" continues to pursue its eccentric, unsure orbit. The Blue Moon remains one of the few surviving blue-collar landmarks in Seattle. The Blue Moon (1934), the Duchess (1934), and the Knarr on The Ave (1935) are the oldest taverns in the University of Washington area. In 1995, the alley to the west of the Blue Moon was named Roethke Mews in honor of the late poet.