A sports bar named

is opening across from the

in time for this weekend's football kickoffs and baseball playoffs.

When the action commences, it will be a moment rich in symbolism, as well as a fresh step toward redevelopment around the Rose Quarter.

The name of this Portland-specific game-viewing venue commemorates the city's singular glory moment in sports history: now in their 40th season, the Portland Trail Blazers won their only National Basketball League championship in 1977 behind the efforts of star center Bill Walton.

A screaming orange "Spirit of 77" sign inside won't let anyone forget the name of this place or its roots. And the theme continues outside with an outsized 36-foot sign that reads "This is RIP CITY," invoking the catch-phrase coined by the

' beloved former play-by-play announcer, Bill Schonely. Whether the sign will be highlighted with red and white neon is a decision still resting with City of Portland design review officials.

Experienced hands in real estate development and food service are behind the Spirit of 77, 500 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

The landlord is Robert Sacks, an attorney and developer who has earned a reputation for the imagination of his leasing and development activities, typically eschewing mainstream corporate credit tenants in favor of local independent ventures. Among his notable projects is the rehabilitation of the downtown block on Southwest Stark Street between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues. Tenants there include the second branch of the trendy Ace Hotel - with additional locations now in Palm Springs and New York City - and Clyde Common restaurant, a successful gastropub known for its lively bar scene and well-regarded meal service.

For this venture, it is no coincidence that the partners in Spirit of 77 are Jack Barron, designer and Ace Hotel co-owner, and Nate Tilden, proprietor of Clyde Common and a second restaurant called Olympic Provisions.

According to Sacks, "After I bought the property five or six years ago, I knew I wanted to develop it as a sports bar or brewpub, given its proximity to the Rose Garden."

After an initial tenant-the American Cowgirls bar-failed, "I went to (Barron and Tilden) with the sports bar idea because I had faith in their abilities," Sacks said. He declined to discuss details of the lease, but said it was structured to give him a "partnership-like" stake in the success of the venture.

The Portland Development Commission likewise has a rooting interest in the Spirit of 77.

Irene Bowers, PDC senior project manager overseeing the Lloyd District, said that PDC "is very supportive of the rehabbing of the building, and the proposed use is consistent with the sports and entertainment nature of the district. The operators brought a great new vibe to the Southwest Stark area and they will do the same here."

With the Convention Center headquarters hotel project on what Bowers characterized as "permanent hold" and the nearby former Sizzler restaurant demolished, Bowers said the PDC is "very excited" for the area to gain a new sports bar along with the nearby public plaza that is under development.

Though PDC did not provide financing for this project, Spirit of 77 did receive a grant under PDC's "storefront program" that provides renovation money to help upgrade building elements such as windows, signage and painting, with the idea that these enhancements "improve the district overall and help increase property values," Bowers said.

There will be plenty of typical sports bar trappings built into the 3,000 square foot space: four 55-inch flat-panels will supplement the 9-by-16-foot projection screen television dedicated to the biggest games of the day.

If you go

Saturday is the official opening day for Spirit of 77, a sports bar being lauched across from the Oregon Convention Center by long-time Portland entrepreneurs.

Hours

: Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. to midnight, 9 a.m. to midnight on Saturday and Sunday.

Location

: 500 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Portland

Contacts

: 503-232-9977 or on the

.

Twenty-eight stools will permit patrons to pony up to a 36-foot long bar that will also feature a back bar constructed from a repurposed basketball court originally used at Hillsboro Union High School . Another nine tables, each ten-feet long and at bar height will fill out the main floor and allow anxious fans to sit, stand or alternate as the fortunes of their favorite teams shift throughout each contest.

Abundant special effects will differentiate Spirit of 77 from the typical guy-cave sports hangout. Tall windows connect the space to the adjacent street scene where a new Portland Streetcar line will soon run. Inside the 1912 A.E. Doyle-designed brick building, what could be more Portland-centric than a bicycle parking area and next to it, a coffee and espresso dispensary featuring single-origin espresso shots from local favorite Stumptown Coffee Roasters?

For pure zaniness - and to offer an outlet for any overflowing competitive juices - there is the "Buzzer Beater" basketball shooting game conceived and built locally by the creative minds at The Official Mfg. Co.

And off in one dedicated corner of the room, soccer fans can while away the downtime during televised matches playing foosball on the Rolls-Royce of foosball tables, the French-made Rene Pierre Zinc model that retails for close to $2,000.

Tilden says he and manager Tim Davey, an experienced bartender and sports obsessive who goes by the nickname "Lil' Shamrock," will be "reimagining how bar food should be."

Andrew Gregory, Clyde Common sous chef, will help execute the vision with dishes such as deep-fried deboned chicken thighs coated in a house-made hot sauce and served with blue cheese dressing, cocktail riblets with a sweet-hot mustard glaze, deep-fried chicken skins and a classic patty melt - ground beef and melted cheese between slices of rye bread. Food prices will run from about $4 to $9.

To enhance fans' game day passions, Davey's bar will offer six to eight "session-like" draft beers served in full 20-ounce imperial pints along with a wide selection of bottled and canned brews.

Davey has also dreamed up a shareable "shots menu," an ever-changing slate of 2, 4, 6 or 8 shots of liquor priced at $8 for two and up to $30 for eight. He also plans a rotating list of nine wines offered by the bottle or glass and a selection of nonalcoholic beverages in bottles and cans.

–Michael Zusman, Special to The Oregonian