Luckey's Club Cigar Store

Luckey’s Club Cigar Store was purchased in 1911 by Tad Luckey, Sr., the son of Irish immigrants and an early Eugene pioneer. It is the oldest retail business in downtown Eugene, and one of the oldest bars in Oregon. In its 95 year history, it has survived both the Great Depression and Prohibition.

The “Club Cigar,” as it was called in the late 1800s did not allow women patrons. It was a place for men only. A man could go to Luckey’s to shop for a cigar, shoot some pool, get a shoeshine, haircut and shave, and order a sandwich at the cafe in the back. Over the years, it evolved into a place for older men.

Eugene was a dry town before the end of Prohibition, therefore Luckey’s was able to survive the nationwide ban on liquor fairly easily compared to the drinking establishments in neighboring Springfield. After Prohibition ended in 1933, Luckey’s became the first establishment in Lane County licensed by the newly formed Oregon Liquor Control Commission.

In 1934, in the height of the Great Depression, Tad Luckey, Sr. paid the relatively enormous sum of $300 for a horseshoe-shaped custom neon outdoor sign. At the time, most businesses rented their neon signs, and this is one of the few that survived. In fact, it is the oldest neon sign known to exist in Eugene.

When Tad Luckey Sr. and co-owner Louis De Berg died in the 1940s, they left the business in the hands of their widows, Maude Luckey and Lucinda (Luckey) DeBerg. Even though women were not served at Luckey’s, and there was no women’s restroom, these two women owned a “man’s resort” until the late 1950s. In 1973, urban renewal was sweeping the nation, and Eugene proceeded to demolish much of the downtown core, including Luckey's and several surrounding buildings. The owner of Luckey’s at the time, Ben Raykovich, purchased a dirt parking lot at 933 Olive Street and built an exact replica of the old Luckey’s. All the furniture, fixtures, bar, ceiling fans, antique stained glass cigar sign, and antique pool tables were moved back into place in the new building.

The Oregon Liquor Control Commission required that a women's restroom be added for first time in Luckey's history. The large antique neon sign now rests over the stage, inside the bar. City codes changed in the 1970s and the sign was deemed too big for outdoor display.

Today, Luckey's has added a live music stage to appeal to the college students from the nearby University of Oregon. Its famous customers have included Oregon residents author Ken Kesey and distance runner Steve Prefontaine.

Citations

*The Lane County Historical Museum
*The Eugene Register-Guard