Last night, I went to the Double Wide benefit concert for the businesses and employees who lost their jobs as a result of last week’s fire on Lower Greenville.  The Doublewide was great to host this, and Chelsea Callahan did an outstanding job organizing the five bands in such short order, helping raise funds for these newly-unemployed workers.

The neighborhood support for these restaurants and pubs — Terrilli’s, Mick’s, Greenville Ave., Hurricane — has been amazing.  Neighborhood associations are selling t-shirts to benefit the employees, a local bank and other business owners have set up a fund to provide financial support, and a facebook page has been created to highlight other job opportunities.

I’ve gotten so many emails from people — lawyers, planners, historic preservationists, architects – offering their services to the building owners free of charge, so the building can be rebuilt and the businesses (and their employees) can get back on their feet as soon as possible.  (I’m passing along this info to the owner, who pledged to keep the historic facade and rebuild quickly.)  A testament to the community support for these businesses can be seen in the many flowers now adorning the chain link fence surrounding the burned-out property — letting the owners and employees know that we are deeply saddened by their loss, that their departure has left a hole in our community, and that we wish them well.

This outpouring of support got me thinking:  Would we have seen the same response if a block of Lowest Greenville — say, south of Bell Avenue — had suffered a similar fate?

I don’t think so.

It’s not that the loss to the business owners or employees would have been any less traumatic or worthy of the neighborhood’s generosity.  But the businesses we lost last week were just the kind that we want on Greenville Avenue — restaurants and pubs that attract mostly neighborhood folks, that are family-friendly, and that have patrons visiting throughout the day not just late at night.

We see too few such businesses on Lowest Greenville — too few restaurants, neighborhood pubs, and retailers and too many bars.  Way too many bars.  All crammed into the middle of a residential area.  MORE….

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I just spoke with Jon duPerier, a general partner here in Dallas who owns the Lower Greenville block that burned.  He told me that he and his partners are history buffs who feel strongly that their building is one of the most historically significant on Greenville Avenue.  He acknowledged that while it would be cheaper to scrape and rebuild, they would rather make the investment and keep a part of Dallas’ history alive.  They are going to preserve the facade and rebuild in the same footprint asap.  The city will be expediting permits for the project, and I told Jon that I would work with him if any issues arose.

This is great news on so many levels.  Jon was very sensitive to the loss to the business owners and their families and wants to get them back in business as soon as possible.  The reconstruction also means that we won’t be looking at a burned out building for months, and will get to see a part of our history revived in short order.

It’s so great to know there are property owners who are invested in our community, not just their small piece of it.  Many thanks to Jon and his partners for their commitment to Lower Greenville and our businesses, residents, and history.

From the Lakewood Advocate Backtalk Blog, here’s a great picture of original plans for the building back in 1931 versus today (pre-fire).  The sketch appeared in the June 14, 1931 edition of  The Dallas Morning News along with the caption, “J. T. Piranio is erecting the modern store building at Greenville avenue and Goodwin street at a cost of $25,000. This will provide six large store-rooms, designed in the latest style.”

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[UPDATED MAR. 5 AT 6:18PM]

The Lower Greenville fire has resulted in a lot of folks losing their jobs overnight. There are several ways you can help:

New Info:  From the Lower Greenville Neighborhood Association:

LGNA volunteers will be selling St. Patrick’s t-shirts at the block party between Vanderbilt and Vickery on Saturday 3/13.  T-shirts will be sold for $10 each, and 100% of gross sales will be donated to restaurant employee assistance.  LGNA is donating the t-shirts that will be sold.

From the Lakewood Advocate Backtalk Blog:

Benefit for employees of Terilli’s, Mick’s, Hurricane Grill is Sunday
Five bands are playing a benefit concert Sunday at the Doublewide for employees of Lower Greenville restaurants that were destroyed in a fire this week.

The bands are Corey Howe, STEW, Manned Missiles, Cocky Americans and Slider Pines, plus sets from DJs Sista Whitenoise and Woodtronic.  The party starts at 8:30 p.m., and tickets are $7.

From the Taste of Lower Greenville Avenue website:

How to support the employees of Terilli’s, Greenville Avenue Bar & Grill, Mick’s and Hurricane Grill
Collection of information, job leads, etc – Help Lower Greenville Facebook page

Restaurant Employee Relief Fund Bank Account
A bank account has been opened to raise money for employees directly affected by the fire. Donations can be made at any local Branch Banking & Trust (BB&T) branch. The account name: Restaurant Employee Relief Fund, Account #8056613196.

The account is coordinated by the Greenville Avenue Restaurant Association, The Greenville Avenue Area Business Association, The Greenville Merchants Association, and the Historic Greenville Avenue Area Business Association. Funds will be dispersed by the owners of the businesses on a case-by-case basis in coordination with the Associations managing the account. MORE….

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As many of you have heard by now, yesterday morning at around 5:30 a.m., a four-alarm fire broke out on Lower Greenville, gutting the building that houses Terrili’s, Hurricane Grill, Mick’s Bar, and Greenville Bar and Grill. 

This is a great loss to Lower Greenville on so many levels.  These are some of the businesses that have defined Lower Greenville for years.  They’ve been assets to the surrounding neighborhoods, good community parters, and represent the antithesis of the problem bars we see south of Belmont.  They’ve provided jobs for business owners and their employees.  The building itself represented some of Dallas’ best 1920s commercial architecture.

Now we’re left with a shell of a building, business owners and employees who’ve lost their livelihood, and the loss of some our most significant Lower Greenville restaurants and pubs.

Yesterday morning, I spent about an hour at the scene as firefighters continued to extinguish the fire and secure the site.  (Photos.)  When I talked with Deputy Fire Chief Stuart Grant, who was overseeing the fire department’s response, he said he wanted to try to keep as much of the façade as possible (especially the corner front facades at Terrili’s and Hurricane).  He told me the rear wall was cracked and too damaged to save, but that he was instructing the city’s demolition crew (which had to remove the debris for safety reasons) to keep the front corner façades.  

My heart goes out to the employees and business owners who lost their jobs overnight.  It is such a tough time to be out of work, and I hope they are able to find other opportunities as soon as possible.  I’m also hopeful that the building owner will rebuild using the remaining facade as a starting point and that Terrili’s and others will be able to move back in after reconstruction.  

The building itself is such a great piece of architecture and an important part of our history.  I’ve received many emails from concerned residents who want to see the building saved.  I agree, and will do all that I can to preserve this structure.  There’s unfortunately a legal limit as to what the city can do to protect the building since it’s not currently an historically-designated structure.  However, I’m finding out what our options are and will push as hard as I can to preserve what’s left of the building.  I’m also trying to get in touch with the property owners to discuss their plans.

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