Tucked on a dim side street of Historic Fourth Avenue is a late 1920s building seething with fog and swarming with ravens. Poe’s Art House opened last October and has been haunting the Avenue with its gothic art and speakeasy ever since.
Amelia Poe, also known as Paula Catherine Valencia, the owner of Poe’s, is proud to host the work of 24 locally and globally recognized artists along the walls of her art house. All of these surrealist art-pop pieces work to liven the dually macabre aesthetic of 19th century poet Edgar Allan Poe. Every piece of art is available for purchase.
According to Amelia Poe, the building started as an autoshop, later turning into the popular pinball hub, D&D Pinball. When the space became hers in 2022, Amelia Poe hosted tenants, including a barbershop.
As tenants began moving out, Amelia Poe began her transformation of the art house. Tucson artist Daniel Martin Diaz’s collection was put on display, as well as Amelia Poe’s own pieces and other dark, mystical photography that deepened the uniquely gothic atmosphere.
Eventually the last tenants, the barbers, moved out, and Amelia Poe could finally complete her last room. She had looked into the newly freed room and said, “Ok little barbershop, what do you want to be when you grow up?”
The answer couldn’t be clearer: a speakeasy to match the darkly romantic vibe of the rest of her art house. A secret portal door somewhere in the art house will lead you into a dimension of time and space where vampires and dead poets come to have a drink and dance.
Attendee Theo Rose said the speakeasy has energy like no other place. He highlighted the uniqueness of Poe’s laid-back atmosphere, while it can still manage to be a place where people can dance and have themed drinks.
“I’m reminded of the 1920s speakeasy scene where there wasn’t big bright advertising for nightclubs, they were tucked away. If you knew, you knew […] so it kind of feels like this,” Rose said.
According to Rose, he met Amelia Poe on Fourth Avenue and connected with her on some of the ideas for the art house. The community at Poe’s is tight-knit, but not in an unwelcoming or exclusive way.
“I always feel real comfortable here, I love that. Walking into a place where you know everybody, you feel comfortable, I feel like it’s [a great] community,” Haley Fryling, an attendee, said.
Poe’s proximity to a coincidently similar-named traveling show called the Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy is a perfect pair with Poe’s for a packed night of drunken gothic activities and vibes. Just across the street from Poe’s at The Sea Of Glass is where the Edgar Allan Poe Cocktail Experience will take place from Nov. 6–8.
“I love that this pop-up is across the street from me. It’s fun to be able to host events at the same time as the pop-up, and that guests cross the street and experience Poe’s Art House as well!” Amelia Poe said.
Poe’s is the perfect destination for Halloween. On October 25, Poe’s hosted a Vampire Disco with DJ Carl Hanni on vinyl. Lights were lowered and reddened, creating that vampiric ambiance that gothic partiers are always trying to find.
“I like the dark vibe and the lighting, lighting is really important. […] The music too, I’m kind of sick of rap and trap, I like the mellow [music] you can dance to. It’s nice to listen to something different,” attendee Katie Leyva said.
On Halloween Night, Poe’s will be hosting their Holy Nightmare duo set with DJ Evan Zimmer’s Wicked Cello and opening with Markus Pierce. “They’re awesome, and [Markus Pierce] is a new addition to Tucson so I’m excited to feature them,” Amelia Poe said. There will be beer and wine service provided. Doors open at 8 p.m.
In the future, Amelia Poe hopes to continue to hold events like these and have more inclusive art shows and performances. “The most important thing is to focus on the art,” Amelia Poe said.
Poe’s Art House is on 327-331 E. Seventh Street and is open to all ages except for their 21+ events when alcohol is served.
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