The Burnside Triangle was centered on Southwest
Stark Street, now signed as Southwest Harvey Milk Street, and comprises a triangular set of city blocks that anchors the north end. It has historically acted as a welcoming space to the district, drawing visitors throughout the region to many different meeting spots, including bars and nightclubs. The
gay liberation,
lesbian feminism, and the
sexual revolution of the 1960s and 1970s helped bring attention to the problems faced by the people in the
LGBTQ community. Before this period, they had no civil rights or protections in employment, housing, or public accommodations. In addition,
gay,
bisexual, and
transgender people did not have advocacy programs in their community; therefore, they constituted a largely invisible population. The Burnside Triangle helped those in the LGBTQ community feel less invisible by providing bars and clubs as social gathering spaces. The gay bathhouse
Club Portland was also located in the Burnside Triangle. In 2008,
Willamette Week said the
Downtown Portland district "underwent a complete renaissance and is now thoroughly established as an LGBTQ enclave stretching over several energetic city blocks. The influence of Burnside spreads into nearby neighborhoods including the
Pearl District (a former industrial section of old Portland that now booms with art and commerce) and the rather upscale and upbeat Northwest neighborhood." In 2017, the Oregonian noted, "The Pink Triangle isn't very pink anymore. In the last decade,
gentrification of downtown's west end has changed the nature of Southwest Stark Street, bringing with it higher rents and new development." The history of the Burnside Triangle was recognized in 2024 when the
Crystal Hotel building, which is located within the Triangle, was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places. == Explanatory footnotes ==