The latest on the threat to downtown staple and icon Virginia Cafe comes from Blogtown: The general manager first heard of it this morning. Nice going, Tom Moyer.
Meanwhile, it seems a little anti-business to me, to raze a place like Virginia Cafe. I thought downtown business moguls had a problem with Portland being anti-business. I guess their real problem is with anyone who is against their business plans in particular.
I have a suggestion, if Moyer has any interest in them: Occasionally in one city or another you will find some historic structure, like a small house, left in place as a development springs up around it. Do that here.
Picture it. No one in the general public - or amongst tourists to Portland — gives a rat’s ass about an office tower. But imagine the public and tourist reaction to seeing this little historic bar left in place as a new office building rises around it. It would attract attention. It would spark discussion.
And in that discussion would be people saying, “Yeah, that Tom Moyer. He knew it would be wrong to raze that place, and he did the right thing.”
Everybody wins.
Virginia Lee Burton, who wrote “Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel” also wrote a book called “The Little House”
It reminds me of what you’re saying here.
Altho that little house ended up sad and ignored until someone saw it, loved it and and had it moved to the country to live in….
But they didn’t tear it down!