As one of largest and most popular dance establishments in town, The Oaks Dance Pavilion figured prominently in this debate. Young men and women packed the hall until its 1:00 am closing time.

Early in the century dancehalls across the nation became a popular form of commercial entertainment, especially among working class communities and youthful members of the rising middle class. However, the idea of single men and women socializing together, often unchaperoned, until late in the evening did not appeal to some of the middle and elite classes. Religious leaders and moral reformers of Portland thought that dancehalls bred prostitution.

Portland Policewoman and moral reformer Lola Baldwin did not expect to close all of the city’s dancehalls, but she did want stricter laws governing them. Among other things, she wanted a ban on alcohol, minors, unchaperoned girls, darkened dance floors, and specific suggestive dances.

The management at The Oaks was aware of this image problem. Their advertisements stressed that women would be treated well and that objectionable persons would be thrown out.

In 1908 the manager of The Oaks Dance Pavilion invited Mrs. Baldwin to the establishment to convince her that it was well-managed. Baldwin appreciated that The Oaks did not admit girls 18 and younger without their parents, but she disliked that the pavilion was open on Sundays. Oaks management gave the policewoman complementary park passes, which she used frequently to watch for immoral girls.

Portland’s first municipal action against dancehalls occurred in 1910, when elites balked at having to share their trolley commute with intoxicated, rowdy youngsters on their way to and from the dancehall at Council Crest amusement park.

With the upper class vocally opposed to dancehalls, City Council closed all of Portland’s dancehalls one by one. The Oaks Dance Pavilion lost its license on June 23, 1910.

The council reissued the license the following year, but by 1912 Mrs. Baldwin achieved a city-wide ban on public dances, including those held nightly at The Oaks. Private parties could rent the pavilion, but Oaks management could not open the hall to the masses.

Working-class dance enthusiasts complained, and Baldwin came to dislike the class bias inherent in this ban. She thought it was unfair that private organizations could get away with holding indecent events while many within the working class could not dance at all.

By April of 1913, City Council lifted the ban on public dances once again, but adopted strict licensing qualifications. By August, private and public dances alike needed to live up to strict moral standards. The waltz became the only acceptable dance position, and minors needed to obey a 9 p.m. curfew.

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