Posted Dec 24, 2011, 1:41 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Portland/Cascadia
Posts: 2,598
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Weren't some of you concerned about the future of Besaws?
The buzz about Besaw’s
Joe Streckert, DJC blog
December 22nd, 2011
Fans of Besaw’s can relax. The venerable restaurant is staying put.
Some time ago the property was acquired by the Vancouver-based C.E. John Properties, and there was some uncertainty as to what exactly was going on with the place. Was it going to be moved? Redeveloped? Closed?
When I contacted Besaw’s, the host who spoke to me on the phone only said, “As far as I know, we’re here for another four years.”
Yesterday, though, I heard from Tom DiChiara, the vice president of development at C.E. John. He went into a bit more detail.
“We have no immediate plans to make any changes,” DiChiara wrote in an email. “In the future, if we decide to redevelop portions of the site, the historic Besaw’s restaurant will remain at its corner location as it has for many decades. It will be an anchor to any redevelopment that may occur around it. We value its historical contribution to the north end, and it was a significant reason we acquired the overall property. Besaw’s will remain an operating restaurant for decades to come.”
This is great news for any kind of local history buff or preservation enthusiast. Besaw’s, after all, had the first ever post-prohibition liquor license in Oregon, and with an open date of 1903, it’s one of the oldest operating dining establishments in the city. Only Huber’s, Jakes, and Kelly’s Olympian (yes, the biker bar — it’s from 1902, believe it or not) are older.
The decision to keep Besaw’s a part of Northwest Portland shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who knows the area. In an interview with the DJC back in August, DiChiara called Northwest Portland a “great” place to live.
“It’s where I lived for a while when I first moved to town,” DiChara said. “I think the active streets and the walkable neighborhood and the streetcar – all of those factor into it.”
He went on to add: “I think we’re always focused on the close-in neighborhoods where ‘there’ is already there. You know, where the retail is always thriving and people want to live (and) where we can infill and build housing where it’s desired.”
The historic Besaw’s is definitely a “there,” and most certainly contributes to the neighborhood life of the district. Any further development on Northwest Savier will go hand-in-hand with the old restaurant, not roughshod over it.
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