Welcome to Colorado Springs Daily Photo!


Hi, I'm Tamera, a professional wedding, portrait and boudoir photographer in Colorado Springs. But this blog isn't about my professional work; no, it's a daily love note to my beautiful city, where I've lived for most of my life. I love it here and I hope you enjoy seeing Colorado Springs through my eyes and lens!

*ALL CONTENT ON THIS SITE IS COPYRIGHT COLORADO SPRINGS DAILY PHOTO. This is not a stock photography site. Please do not copy, save, "screen grab" or otherwise appropriate or steal any images or text. Reproduction without my written permission is prohibited. Please contact me if you are interested in buying a print.*

29 January 2014

104 E Platte Ave, and a funny story

This is one of those buildings in your city that you've always been aware of but never paid much attention to. The Acacia Community Center sits on the northeast corner of Platte and Tejon, just across from Acacia Park. I believe it's an assisted living facility. In its early days it was the Acacia Hotel, but that was long before my time. For a couple of decades there was a bar called Jinx's Place occupying the ground floor. It was one of those crusty old bars with a scary edge. In a word, Jinx's was a dive. It took a little bit of gumption to go in there, but go in there I did, because Jinx's had a great jukebox and cheap beer! I remember going to Jinx's once with my friend Mark, who was not a tough guy. There were several chain-smoking barflies holding the bar down, rough-edged characters mined right out of Charles Bukowski's imagination, and as we stood at the bar an old woman asked me in a raspy voice, "How long you been packin' a black?" I gave her a blank look, and Mark immediately began to panic, because these people frankly scared the crap out of him. It was quite comical. Eventually (after asking her to repeat herself twice and receiving a couple of equally confusing iterations of the same question, along the lines of "how long you been flingin' a skin" or some such) I discerned that she was asking about my black leather biker jacket, which I wore every day. I told her I'd been "packin' a black" for a few years, and that seemed to satisfy her curiosity. (And Mark was very relieved.)

The best thing about Jinx's was the sign outside the building. It was the COOLEST SIGN EVER. So mid-century, it jutted out over the sidewalk with its neon flashing, JINX spelled out in giant bold letters. Oh how I wish I had a picture of it to show you here! I always meant to take a picture of it, but a snapshot just wouldn't do -- I wanted to do a real study of it. And then one day in 1989 the building was sold, the sign was removed and Jinx's Place was relocated, sans sign, to a different building on South Nevada, where it lived on for another three years or so. I never did get a picture of that sign. Jinx herself passed away in 2007. And that, my friends, was the end of an era.


The Acacia Hotel, around 1915.

7 comments:

Pat said...

What an interesting story. There's a ramshackle biker bar not far from where my mother lived that stands by the road...lots and lots of big bikes and genuine, not yuppie, bikers. I've always wanted to go in...so maybe I will.

William Kendall said...

Quite a story, Tamera, and it looks like a place with a lot of character!

Nancy's Notes said...

What a great story! I've never hear of packin a black! What an fascinating haunt, sorry you weren't able to get a picture. Oh my, your friend just cracks me up! Thanks for sharing, enjoyed your writing.

JL LEAL said...

excellent photo and great text

Don said...

Here's a picture of Jinx's sign, probably taken somewhere between 1980-85.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/donseeley/38523879736

Unknown said...

My Mom worked in that bar back in the late 80's she'd just gotten her bartending degree there in CO Springs. I've been in a few times & never had any problem with anyone, sad to hear of her passing, mom passed away some years ago too. I've looked for the bar online a few times & this is the first time I've found any information on it at all so Thank You for that 🙂👍

Helen Heart said...

O my !!! I’ve been looking for mention of Jinx’s for years. Thank you !! A friend who attended CC and I hung out at Jinx’s when I’d visit her from Aspen, where I was ski bumming in the 80’s. We loooved it there.
I too have a story of an old lady barfly, with a raspy voice !!!! I was at the bar waiting for drinks, and I tried to engage her in conversation. She ignored me for a moment, then still staring into her drink said ‘why don’t you just get lost, honey?’
I’ve told that story for decades. I’m going to imagine it’s the same lady you talked to 😆