Ground Kontrol is a video game/pinball and

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It is known for preserving games from the

Golden Age of Video Arcade Games The golden age of arcade video games was the period of rapid growth, technological development, and cultural influence of arcade video games from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. The release of ''Space Invaders'' in 1978 led to a wave of shoo ...

. It also serves as a venue for DJs and live music.

History

Since opening in 1999, Ground Kontrol has undergone several changes. The arcade was originally created and opened by Betty Farrier, and

Kneel Cohn Kneel Cohn (born January 12, 1976) in The Bronx, New York is the primary songwriter, lead singer and guitarist for Warshow Angels, and The Dead Stars On Hollywood, known for the songs "Prozac Smile" and "Flaunt it Like This". He has performed ...

of the bands Warshow Angels and

The Dead Stars on Hollywood The Dead Stars on Hollywood were an United States, American rock band based in New York City, that incorporated elements of glam, new wave and goth into their alternative rock sound. The group's name was inspired by the "cinematic" imagery of th ...

. In March 2003, it came under the new ownership of Timewarp Incorporated. In September 2004, Ground Kontrol moved to a new location In December 2010, Ground Kontrol moved to a temporary location to accommodate a remodel. During renovation, a kitchen and new seating were added, the restrooms were moved, and the decor took on a

Tron ''Tron'' (stylized as ''TRON'') is a 1982 American science fiction action adventure film written and directed by Steven Lisberger from a story by Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird. The film stars Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn, a computer programmer ...

-esque vibe. On December 11, 2011, Ground Kontrol announced that it was now a full-service bar. In April 2017, Ground Kontrol expanded into the former location of

Backspace Backspace (, ⌫) is the keyboard key that in typewriters originally pushed the carriage one position backwards, and in modern computer systems typically moves the display cursor one position backwards,The meaning of "backwards" depends on the dir ...

, renovating it to include a new bar area, several video screens and a connecting hallway. The newer expanded area was built with a

WarGames ''WarGames'' is a 1983 American techno-thriller film directed by John Badham, written by Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes, and starring Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, John Wood and Ally Sheedy. Broderick plays David Lightman, a ...

-esque vibe. A further renovation of the entrance on NW Couch St. was completed in June 2018.

Events

* In June 2004, a world record high score competition was held jointly at Ground Kontrol; Aftershock RetroGames Arcade in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

; and the Houston Area Arcade Group Expo in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Twin Galaxies Twin Galaxies is a social media platform and video game database. Twin Galaxies is the official supplier of video game records to ''Guinness World Records''. History In mid-1981, Walter Day, founder of Twin Galaxies, Inc., visited more than 1 ...

maintained the results of the competitions for world record consideration. * Portland Pinbrawl, an annual pinball tournament, is held at Ground Kontrol. * In 2010, Ground Kontrol was the winner of three arcades competing in Stride gum's "Save the Arcades 2" contest. The owners used the $25,000 prize to assist in funding a full remodeling of the arcade and to buy more games.

Recognition

In July, 2010,

Sunset Magazine ''Sunset'' is a lifestyle magazine in the United States. ''Sunset'' focuses on homes, cooking, gardening, and travel, with a focus almost exclusively on the Western United States. The magazine is published six times per year by the Sunset Publis ...

included Ground Kontrol in the "Best of Portland: Hotels, Dining, and Attractions 2010" publication calling it the "Old Hot Spot" in Portland's

Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...

. The

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...

listed Ground Kontrol as one of "Five places to revisit the '80s". Ground Control won in the "Best Game Bar" category of ''

Willamette Week ''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture. History Early history '' ...

'' "Best of Portland Readers' Poll 2020".

References

External links

* {{coord, 45.523897, -122.675588, type:landmark_region:US-OR_source:googlemaps, display=title 1999 establishments in Oregon Companies based in Portland, Oregon Entertainment companies established in 1999 Nightclubs in Portland, Oregon Northwest Portland, Oregon Old Town Chinatown Privately held companies based in Oregon Amusement arcades

History

Events

Recognition

See also

References

External links