Jules Maes Saloon

Jules Maes Saloon
The restaurant's exterior
Restaurant information
City	Seattle
State	Washington
Country	United States
Coordinates	47°32′58.6″N 122°19′3.1″W

Jules Maes Saloon is by some accounts the oldest bar in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington.[1][2] It opened in 1888 in the city's Georgetown neighborhood.[3][4][5] The building it occupies, "The Brick Store", at 5919 Airport Way at the corner of Nebraska, is listed as a Seattle Historic Site.[6]

History

The bar first opened in a building at 5953 Airport Way South (before it was called Airport Way, for nearby Boeing Field) under a different name.[2][7] It was purchased by Jules Gustaf Maes, a Belgian-born bartender, who eventually changed its name and moved it to the 5919 building.[2] The back room was once used as a bookie joint.[7]

The bar was owned by June Espelend for a period. John and Vanessa LeMaster, who had owned it since 2005, closed it during the coronavirus pandemic.[2][8] It was reopened by Raché Hemmelgarn in January of 2021.[9]

• 
  Interior
• 
  Exterior
• 
  c. 1980

References

1. "Best Burgers that Go Beyond the Beef". Seattle Magazine. 2011-12-06. Archived from the original on 2016-06-17. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
2. Guarente, Gabe (2020-07-13). "One of the Oldest Bars In Seattle Is Closing Permanently After 132 Years [UPDATED]". Eater Seattle. Archived from the original on 2020-07-25. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
3. "From Cinerama to 132-year-old Jules Maes Saloon, the 'pace of loss' in Seattle is accelerating". The Seattle Times. 2020-07-17. Archived from the original on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
4. Lalley, Heather (20 July 2020). "Some of the country's oldest restaurants are closing permanently". Restaurant Business. Archived from the original on 2020-07-24. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
5. Craighead, Callie (2020-07-14). "Jules Maes Saloon in Georgetown to close permanently after 132 years". seattlepi.com. Archived from the original on 2020-08-02. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
6. "Seattle Historical Sites Search Result - Department of Neighborhoods (DON)". web6.seattle.gov. Archived from the original on 2020-07-16. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
7. Vogel, Traci. "The Bar That Won't Go Away". The Stranger. Archived from the original on 2020-10-31. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
8. "Closing of Jules Maes Saloon". Arizona Republic. 2000-05-28. p. 87. Archived from the original on 2022-07-17. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
9. "'Seattle's Oldest Bar' back in business in Georgetown". king5.com. 14 January 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-01-14. Retrieved 2021-01-16.

External links

• Official website