The Padded Cell was located at 925 W. Lake Street at Colfax Ave. in Minneapolis.

HAROLD’S CLUB

The bar had been known as Harold’s Club, but as George Grim explained in his column of December 24, 1955, there was a well-known Harold’s Club in Reno, so the locals had a contest to give the place a new name.  Thus came the name the Padded Cell.

PAUL FINK

It was owned by Paul Fink, a former San Francisco policeman.  Fink kept two monkeys in the place, which was probably amusing but not too sanitary…  Mel remembered that Fink was a Big Tough Guy (Will Jones said he weighed 350) and one night he mixed it up with the local gendarmes and it took six of them to take him down.

JAZZ

In 1957 it featured a Dixieland band and that summer it even had a float in the Aquatennial parade. In 1958 Erik Storlie described it as a “tough workingman’s bar.”

The format then switched to modern jazz, featuring local and out of town groups, including Kai Winding’s Sextet, Pat Moran’s group, the Marion McPartland Trio, Jack Teagarden, Peter Nero, and Charlie Ventura. Next door was a Charburger where musicians from all over town would congregate when their jobs were over. There was apparently a song going ’round called “Paul Fink’s Padded Cell.”

If you’ve got $250 you can buy this SOMA LP on ebay!

FOLK MUSIC

Paul Fink left in 1964 and the format turned to folk music. The club hosted such major acts as Peter, Paul, and Mary – “For a couple of dollars and a pitcher of beer we saw loads of talent!”

The folk trio the Journeymen recorded their “Coming Attractions-Live!” album at the Cell in 1962. The cover described it as an “on-the-spot recording of an actual performance in Minneapolis’s famed Padded Cell.”

An article about folk venues in Life Magazine’s December 14, 1962 issue noted that the Padded Cell served “near beer.” The January 1963 Select Twin Citian shows that it was open 7 days/week, with 50 cents admission on weeknights and $1 on Friday-Sunday. Groups performing that month were the Contemporary Folk Group; Tom Pasle and Lynn Gold; and the Swagmen, “novelty folk quartet.” February groups included the Bandsmen and the Chessmen. In May 1963 there was a note that owner Fred Cole promised to get the place “back in gear this summer,” offering jazz, comedy, dancing girls, calypso, and folk, particularly the Contemporary Folk Group. In 1964 the club featured Epic Recording Artists Jerry Goodge and the Gold Briars and the Berkely Squires.

The site became the home of Mohn Electric for many years.