You’d think so, yet it happens all the time in countries where there are historic houses like that everywhere.
I realised something recently, while reading about such a case: I get news of developers doing exactly this all the time, because I work in the heritage space and my feeds are geared towards that sort of thing. These people live in a different world. They haven’t cared about heritage before they acquired the building and butted up against the law. They probably don’t even realise that others have tried to game the system before and failed spectacularly.
They are used to planning authorities who are generally pro business and will let things slide with a fine when you take action first and ask for permission later.
Heritage authorities are not like that. But they don’t realise that until it’s too late.
I see the same in virtually every issue of Private Eye in the Nooks and Corners column – listed and architecturally significant buildings, left to rot, frequently accompanied by (unsolved) arson. And developers who go bankrupt before any remedial work is completed.
The term of art for that in these parts is Phoenixing, where a building company takes on developments, knocking stuff down and throwing up shoddy hacked up cheap-as buildings as fast as they can until the debts and fines and remediation judgements grow to a certain point, and the company is declared bankrupt with no assets and just sort of vanishes.
And then, sometimes the same day, a new, in theory unrelated, building company is registered, with no legal connection to the previous company or any of its debts or obligations, and it’s a complete coincidence that it’s the same directors and the same workers with the same equipment as the old company.
Yes, it’s illegal as fuck. And yet it seems to be endemic.
Slanty pubs should be held as sacrosanct. Oakland’s Heinhold’s First and Last is both a nautical and literary shrine connected to Jack London. Booze consumed there preserves personal, local, and global HISTORY. Closer to my home is The Cabin Tavern. Larger but equally slanted at the bar. As close as you can be to the waters of Puget Sound without getting wet. Forever worthy of a visit.
I’m planning a road trip! I found Heinold’s but am not sure about The Cabin Tavern. I see two: One in SW Puget Sound area and the other in Bellingham. Neither is particularly forthcoming on their website. Or is there another?
This place seems like a natural gold mine of a tourist attraction in this era of social media. I know I want to go have a pint there, just from reading this blog post…
Sure, once it’s rebuilt there is probably a profitable business to be had. Not very profitable, the hospitality industry is in its knees right now. But to douches like these owners or make no sense to maintain a business for twenty years when you can make the same money in six months by building office blocks or student housing or whatever.
Thank you very much for that clear explanation. Capitalism, eh?
“go on fire” That’s some beautiful neutral tone.
This is the building that gave the Scottish heir phrase for “cheers”, or, as they say it “Slàinte mhath”. Apparently Scots visting the bar misheard someone asking about the “slanty vase” above the bar.
I love the old headline, “Fog in Channel; Continent Cut Off”
@blackeye I heard that, back in the 60s, The Cabin Tavern was the centre of the music fad called The Puget Sound.
The Cabin Tavern is located a little north of Seattle, in Shoreline. You would take the 175th exit off off I-5, drive west to Hwy 99/Aurora Ave., take a right and head north to 185th Street, take a left there and head west. The road curves a bit here and there and goes through a couple of stop lights. Just keep on heading west and downhill a long ways until you eventually T-bone a street that parallels Puget Sound. Take a left there and head south. Keep an eye to your left. The Cabin will appear soon enough. It’s the only commercial establishment on that street.
Mind you, this place is nowhere as dank or historic as Heinhold’s. It just has a slanty bar. Food is okay.
Yup. There was a terrible spate of accidental conflagrations (ahem) up here in Newcastle back when the money was running free, and they were doing up the Quayside. Of course, it’s turned back into a run down shithole again now, so hey-ho.
That’s some beautiful neutral tone.
