They never learn (Jack Bog's Blog)

The real estate sharpies of Portland are not spiritual people. They think nothing of wiping out history to make room for their bunkers of greed, even though that kind of destruction tends to bring some seriously bad luck.

It's particularly bad when they knock down beloved, old-time gin mills. When Tom Moyer and his crew put the wrecking ball to the old Virginia Cafe, they set in motion a chain of adverse financial events that have culminated with a huge, embarrassing hole in the ground on a prime block of downtown real real estate. The glitzy offices, the chi-chi condos, never got built, and whatever rent the Virginia was paying is long gone.

Tri-Met and the pushers of the Mystery Train to Milwaukie are doing the same thing presently with the venerable old Candlelight Room over by Portland State. Many a night have the gods of the blues and soul smiled down on that gritty music venue, and now it's been obliterated for a train system that nobody wants or needs except the real estate types and their transit puppets. We won't be the least bit surprised if disaster ensues. There are some things you just shouldn't mess with.

Comments (7)

Yeah, Jack. They're gonna need a special doctor:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhOqtCuP1yQ

Posted by Mojo | April 23, 2012 6:47 PM

They are just following the Real Portland Plan that has been in existence for longer than most city residents have been alive.

Posted by Abe | April 23, 2012 7:08 PM

The Candlelight was/is the best. They provided awesome live R&B music with no cover, provided a lively diverse crowd, and served strong cocktails without charging you an arm and a leg. No attitude and lots of fun...it doesn't get any better than that in my book. Yes indeed, the forces of greed have some serious karma issues on this one. Let's hope they can reconstitute themselves elsewhere in a bigger forum without changing the essence of the experience they provided. Last I heard they were looking at a new location in the Pearl. If they go that way, let's hope it's the same kind of scene, or I'm not going there. My optimism is limited on this one.

Posted by Usual Kevin | April 23, 2012 9:33 PM

Unfortunately the condo/train mogals seem to have deeper pockets and more connections to "gobmint" money than the rest of us poor slobs. We get to pay for their mistakes and corruption.
It stinks! and I feel pretty helpless to stop it.

Posted by Portland Native | April 23, 2012 9:53 PM

It is really sad to see. I live in that area and was walking by there. It was particularly horrifying to look down SW Lincoln. All the trees are gone. And for what? Another train. When the green and yellow lines came through, our building spent $10,000 on extra outdoor lighting and cameras. Crime, not higher property values, is all they brought.

Posted by Robert | April 24, 2012 7:47 AM

The real plan became clear when we were looking at the demise of Tres Shannon's 'P-Palace' - upgrading to city codes - for literally anything built more than 10 years ago - is all but impossible.
Demolishing and building new is a third the cost for nearly any property in the city.
Voila - developers own it all.
Bye bye PDX.
You used to have a soul.

Posted by Leaving real soon | April 24, 2012 9:47 AM

Don't worry. At the nearest MAX station the "art" will be reminiscent of the Candlelight - with neon lights, R&B music (recorded by local artists) played on loud speakers all around the station, a performance plaza attached to the MAX station with "live, performance art" sponsored by TriMet performed each Friday and Saturday from noon until 10:00 PM, and a new Candlelight Cafe built right at the MAX station as a transit concessionaire.

Of course, all paid for with your TriMet dollars.

Posted by Erik H. | April 24, 2012 12:28 PM

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Monday, April 23, 2012

They never learn

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