Strange Times at Re-Bar

Posted: 05.12.2021 | Updated: 02.11.2025

Seattle is known for its weird and grungy ways. It’s why the city has the cult-like following that it’s known for. Nowadays, Bezos and his high-tech bros have all but gentrified the grunge out of Seattle – unfortunately, COVID-19 has done the same. Re-Bar was a tiny lounge in the Downtown/Capitol Hill area of Seattle.

Although it’s towered by the nearby high rises, the regulars partied hard, making Re-Bar the loudest spot on the block. Re-Bar is etched into Seattle history, even hosting Nirvana’s release party for their album Nevermind.

Over the years, the venue became home to artists, goths, punks, and party people who just want to jump headfirst into a dive bar. But aside from being one of the city’s coolest bars, and a long-held safe space for the LGBTQ community, Re-Bar was also quite haunted.

Before we dive into the haunted history of this dive bar, book a tour with Seattle Terrors. You’ll embark on one of the most unforgettable and fascinating ghost tours in Seattle!

Was Re-Bar Seattle Haunted?

Nearly a century of history has left behind quite a few ghosts. While the spirit of an old-school leather daddy parades around during closing time, the spirit of one of the early building owners makes herself known here and then.

Both are quite mischievous, if not boisterous, with the patrons. If you hang at the Re-Bar near closing time, expect to be mocked, laughed at, or pushed aside. Some of Re-Bar’s ghosts are more solemn, like the ghost of a woman who spends her time sobbing on the west side of the bar, and a man who is heard whistling in the restroom after the patrons clear out.

The Boarding House & Pete’s Coffee Shop

Before the building at 1114 Howell was built, the site was occupied by a boarding house and a relatively unremarkable cafe called Pete’s Coffee Shop. During those days, death and hard times cast a hazy shadow over the building.

French civil engineer Francois Duval died in the building while sitting in a rocking chair. Another tenant was known to sell resurrection plants, plants that seem to come back from the dead, as an attempt to make a living. Pete’s Coffee Shop was also rife with burglaries and drunkards wreaking havoc.

Wild Parties at Capitol Hill

In 1930, Pete’s was torn down, and a new building was erected. The new building went through a number of owners before becoming the Night Hawk Tavern, known simply as the “Nite Hawk” to Seattle locals.

And so began the building’s long history of creating a safe place for Seattle’s LGBT community. The Nite Hawk mainly booked cabarets and entertainment geared towards the city’s gay nightlife. In the mid-1970s, the building hosted a venue called Thirsty’s, which was very similar to the Nite Hawk, though with a much dirtier name.

Thirsty’s became Axel Rock in the 1980s. This time, it was a dance-driven venue made to attract the gay bar scene. Alex Herbin and his partner, Rick, also known as Axel and Rocky, ran the club with a vengeance.

Sadly, they were blindsided by the AIDS epidemic, like many in the LGBT and Black communities. Axel passed away not too long after his diagnosis, and Axel Rock closed down.

Despite the mounting tragedies, the AIDS crisis didn’t stop the people of Seattle. Axel Rock became the Sparks Tavern, also known as the S. The S was a gay and lesbian bar that took the tradition of cabarets and took it to a whole ‘nother level.

They held full-length plays inside the bar, such as Doric Wilson’s Street Theatre. The gay activist and playwright actually made his Seattle debut at Sparks.

The Re-Bar: Making Seattle History

In January of 1990, Re-Bar moved in, marking the beginning of an era. Only a few months after the opening, Nirvana chose the bar as the place for the release party of Nevermind. In a very rock and roll fashion, Nirvana was kicked out of their own release party after getting too drunk causing a ruckus at the bar.

The band members began ripping posters off the walls, started a food fight, and smashed several bottles of Jack Daniels on the floor. Needless to say, the party launched an entire genre of music, and the city of Seattle, into the limelight.

Re-Bar became the spirit of Seattle in a few hundred square feet. The bar kept on as a safe space for Seattle’s LGBTQ community, while also attracting droves of goths, punks, hipsters, and all-around misfits. Some people couldn’t tell if it was a really straight gay bar or a really gay straight bar, and that’s exactly how everyone wanted it.

Re-Bar was also the place where Dina Martina started her career. The drag queen comedienne now plays shows across the country, and the world. The venue is also famous for the Seattle Poetry Slam, one of the longest-running active poetry nights in the West.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a property tax hike, the Re-Bar permanently shut down, despite plans to reopen in 2021. This struck the hearts of many Seattlites as this venue was a safe haven for those that needed it.

Ghosts of the Re-Bar

The staff and regulars at the Re-Bar knew the bar is haunted. After a century of history, the ghosts and spirits stick around for the good times and wild parties at the hole-in-the-wall dive bar. Several spirits would haunt the Re-Bar, and like the patrons, they love eyes on them.

The first ghost is that of a 70s leather daddy. Clad in black leather kinkwear, he isn’t the shy type. He tends to appear and vanish, marching around the bar without a care in the world. He tends to bump into patrons and push them out of his way.

Nobody knows where he’s going, but he’s always on a mission. Sometimes, he will walk through someone. Patrons have complained of a dizzying whoooosh sound as the leather daddy walks on by.

The spirit of a woman from the 1930s was also seen around the bar, said to be one of the building’s original owners. Though she’s seemingly small and frail, she is known to startle the guests, then mock them when they jump in fear. One staff member, in particular, had her appear right behind him, scaring him, then laughing at him afterward. She then disappeared into what he described as a “light portal.”

Another ghost story is about an alcoholic woman, who would often come to the bar to sulk in the 1940s. She lived an overall sad and unfulfilling life, repeatedly lecturing other bar patrons. Her ghost is periodically seen sobbing on the west side of the bar.

There’s also the spirit of a strange man in the men’s restroom. He’s usually heard whistling in the bathroom stalls after closing but nobody has seen his ghost. Whenever the staff go into the restroom to look for the whistler, they find the stalls empty.

Want to learn more about the haunted history of Seattle?

Seattle is known as the Emerald City. The forests, the ocean, the wildlife; the city truly is a gem. Nowadays, it’s known as a tech hub and coffee roasters paradise. But the city is also haunted! Yes, Seattle is known for its ghosts, leftover from centuries of history.

Swing by the Arctic Club Building! The hotel was once a social club for Alaskan explorers as they made their way to and from the cold north via Seattle. The building also served as an office for bizarre Congressman Marion Zioncheck, who eventually committed suicide when he jumped out of his office window on the 5th floor. Zioncheck’s ghost is still said to haunt the building, often seen hanging around the halls near his old office.

This is just one of many spooky spots, check out the top ten most haunted spots in Seattle for more things to do and see while you’re in the city!

Book with Seattle Terrors for an unforgettable ghost tour in Seattle. Follow our blog, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram for more spooky places!

Sources:

• https://www.thestranger.com/theater/2015/02/18/21732998/re-bar-at-25
• https://www.thehorrordome.com/blogs/news/haunted-seattle
• https://updatesdj.mystrikingly.com/blog/gay-bar-seattle-wa
• https://seattle.curbed.com/2019/10/31/20940372/re-bar-building-queer-history-seattle
• https://www.historylink.org/File/20179
• https://www.kuow.org/stories/seattle-s-re-bar-says-goodbye-with-one-last-call
• https://seattle.curbed.com/2019/10/31/20940372/re-bar-building-queer-history-seattle