The Shelter Cocktail Lounge is Tucson’s all-American bar.

It doesn’t feature country music or a cowboy theme like the Maverick or Whiskey Roads. It doesn’t play loud, modern hip-hop or pop hits like The Hut or Playground. Instead, it offers Cuban-missile crisis era decor, ‘80s classics and John F. Kennedy memorabilia. Everywhere.

The windowless building, patterned wallpaper and red leather bar stools create an atmosphere that might remind a newcomer of their grandparent’s basement. The crowd of drinkers spans generations, ranging from college students to retirees.

“It’s really quite amazing,” Pam Santangelo said, the owner of The Shelter. “I mean, everybody kind of feels at home here.”

Santangelo and her ex-husband and business partner, Kevin Breutzmann, bought the place in the 1990s, making them the bar’s fourth owners. Its origins, however, stretch back further, to an era defined by Cold War anxiety and architectural innovation.

The Shelter was built in 1961 by Anne Rysdale, who was the only registered female architect in Arizona at the time. The rounded roofline and mid-century styling were unique choices for a small cocktail lounge in Tucson but Rysdale’s design gave it a distinct identity.

“I met her years ago,” Santangelo said. “Her daughter brought her by, but she didn’t remember designing it. She was about 91-years-old at the time But, the people we bought the bar from were the people who did all the JFK stuff.”

The JFK stuff became The Shelter’s signature. Regulars begged Santangelo and Breutzmann to keep the Kennedy collection when they took over. Today, the portraits and campaign posters of the former president serve as the lounge’s calling card.

“That John Kennedy is amazing,” bartender Eric Brenner said, pointing at the smiling Kennedy with lightup teeth. 

A regular for about 25 years, Brenner got to know the owners over time and eventually slid behind the bar himself. He expressed that the memorabilia is fun, but it’s The Shelter’s mix of people that makes the place special.

“You can just find so many types of people here,” Brenner said. “So whether you’re a frat boy, a biker, old people or young people, it doesn’t matter. Anyone is welcome here.”

That open atmosphere is what drew Dakota Salyer in. A doctoral student at the University of Arizona, according to Salyer the downtown bar scene felt overwhelming when she first moved to Tucson from Kentucky. It was too crowded, too loud and too hard to socialize.

“It was just exhausting, but when I started coming to The Shelter, Danny’s [and] the Bay Horse, it was so much more relaxed and I formed so many more meaningful relationships,” Salyer said. “There’s a lot of personality here. Pam puts so much of her heart into the place, she comes to every event and decorates to make it perfect. She really cares.”

According to Slayer, she formed relationships with some of the other regulars and bartenders, even staying after hours to play Dungeons & Dragons or shoot pool towards the end of the night.

“Everyone you meet here is very down to earth, very kind and it gives a lot of people moving here from thousands of miles away a place to form a community,” Salyer said.

While The Shelter isn’t the fanciest or most expensive lounge in town — most drinks run from $4 to $10 — it provides a cozy, upscale atmosphere for a date night or a girls’ night out. The bar’s most popular drink, the dirty martini, offers a clean sting from the gin, or vodka, balanced with umami flavors of olive brine to create a savory, sharp cocktail experience for a total of $8.

Some of the other most popular choices include The Shelter Coffee, the bar’s take on an espresso martini and Pam’s Pickle-tini, made with Santangelo’s homemade pickle juice. Both are priced at $9.50.

“We can do the basic stuff and we can also do really, really nice cocktails, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously,” Brenner said. “We can do it all.”

The Shelter Cocktail Lounge, 4155 E. Grant Rd, is open daily from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. Grant Road is currently under construction, however, the bar remains open.

Follow the Daily Wildcat on Instagram and Twitter/X