History
The Frontier Room has kept its namesake since 1954, when the neon sign with the winking owl was first mounted on the building's brick exterior. The Langes sold their family business and name to Robert Eickhof and partners in July 2001. The Frontier Room continues with a remodel and menu change that plays upon the character of the original bar and restaurant.
The original Frontier Room owner Chuck Lange leased the space from building owner Clarence Paup and operated a bar and restaurant for decades before handing the business off to his daughter, Jackie. She built on the restaurant's reputation for inexpensive food, strong coffee, and even stronger, cheap drinks in the bar.
Prior to the Frontier Room's existence, the space's north bay functioned as a manufacturing base for a Northwest outfitter while the south bay was known as Steen's Cafe, a family-style restaurant.
The original building on the property was wood framed and housed a grocery store and horse stable at the very place where the Queen City Grill and The Frontier Room now stand.
In 1910, marine engineer Martin Paup and his wife Ella razed the wood building and erected a brick structure, "The Martin Block," with four stories and a daylight basement (which presently houses Belltown Billiards). The main level facing First Avenue was used for commerce while the upper three levels included 48 rooms-to-let and two offices.
Ownership of the building stayed in the Paup family until the late 1990's when Martin's grandson, also named Martin, transferred ownership to Plymouth Housing Corp., dedicated to providing low rent housing opportunities for the less fortunate. Housing remained on the top three floors while the street level continued to house the popular restaurants that thrive there today.
The younger Martin Paup recalls policing the building in the 1980's with it's colorful tenants from pensioners to prostitutes. The Frontier Room has been one of Seattle's treasures for decades, from the rough-and-tumble skid row years of Chuck Lange to the trendy, no-nonsense dive bar ran by daughter Jackie and infamous bartender Nina. The Frontier Room continues the legacy today, appealing to the upscale cliental that frequent the Belltown area of Seattle today.
-told by Martin Paup, third generation family member and former owner of "The Martin Block" building