Summer + Patrick Triato
(+ Penny & Quinn)
Co-Owners

Jess Kirsch
General Manager

Cassy Bright
(+ Heath)
Events & Design

The 10,000 sf warehouse we call Union/Pine was built in 1960, designed by the remarkable Margaret Fritsch, the first female architect in Oregon. The building served as a storage facility for Volunteers of America for its first 30 years, and shifted hands throughout the 90's before coming into the loving hands of Todd Fadel, who converted it into the legendary all-ages venue, Meow Meow. Hosting a slew of local and traveling talent from Death Cab and Modest Mouse to Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Meow Meow was the go-to spot for countless teens and twenty-somethings for a handful of super fun years until they were forced to move locations and eventually close their doors. 

After another few years getting tossed around, 525 SE Pine was worse for the wear. The exterior was a dingy white with rotting wood framing and stucco badly in need of repair when the building went up for sale in 2011. One Spring afternoon, Patrick Triato, a fresh transplant from Ohio, rode by on his way to work at his product design firm, and he fell in love.

Patrick inked a deal days later that countless architects and developers had passed on because it was "too much work", and the building was officially his. Now all he had to do was to power through the remodel, and find a roommate to help pay the rent.

Meanwhile, Summer Killingsworth was hunting for a live/work loft, and answered a vague Craigslist ad for a place in Central SE. When she set eyes on it the next day, something bigger than a cool home started brewing as they began scheming an idea for an art gallery and event space that they hoped would serve as a hub for the Portland creative community. The list to get the place in shape was miles long, so Summer and Patrick got straight to work.

After demolishing all the walls and taking down all the fluorescent lights, they built a bar using pallets they foraged from the neighborhood. The list continued to grow as long evenings and weekends were spent lowering the 'sunken' living room floor, building a stage, replacing the leaking plexiglass windows, building rolling doors, and painting every square inch while they fine-tuned their business plan. Work parties turned into rooftop parties as their amazing friends rallied to support their crazy project, and these two new friends soon realized this dream was more than they’d imagined as they began to fall in love.

Brainstorming names for their venture on a rare weekend outside, they came up with "Union" as a word that symbolized joining people together, which was at the heart of the business. When "Pine" popped out, it clicked. It wasn't until months later that they discovered that the cross street (Grand/MLK) was once Union Street - adding a very cool element of destiny to the tale.

Once they had a name, the rest fell into line, and their sweat equity began to pay off. The calendar was booking up, and the parties and shows were bringing the Portland community together just as they’d dreamed.

Many lists, and 4 years later, Summer and Patrick were married.

The following year, they finally finished renovations on The Loft, which had long served as their residence, and they quickly began booking that space for meetings and events. With both floors at Union Pine bustling and a brilliant GM (Cassy Bright) running the show, Summer decided to take a leap on her own, taking her passion for events and hospitality across the river in 2018 to open Bar West, which is both an event venue and beautiful neighborhood restaurant.

Now 11 years in to both their relationship and Union Pine and 4 years at Bar West, and having survived a global pandemic that included the birth of their second daughter, Summer + Patrick were itching for a new project together. With Cassy still at UP and a stellar team at West, it felt like it might be time to go after their biggest dream yet - their shared lifelong goal of building an outdoor farm-style venue, reminiscent of McMenamins, Summer’s childhood home, and a homestead setting ripe with adventure, nature, and education. They’d been searching for many years for *the place*, and just as the stars aligned, in the summer of 2022 they found it.

The 7-acre property that they have named Deep Creek Farmstead had been created as a permaculture haven by an incredible force of a woman who had lived on the land her entire 70 years, and who finally decided to retire to the coast, passing her magical oasis on to the Triatos. It took an entire year of weekends and holidays to get it ready for guests, but it is now available as a vacation and retreat rental on Airbnb and will be hosting weddings in 2024.

With two happy young daughters, three thriving venues, and a dedicated and talented crew running the show alongside them, for now, this love story is complete.