Zoning Overlay and Oregon Street

I spent almost 3 hours preparing for a meeting we had with a City Planner regarding proposed zoning changes. I found out Friday this was a complete waste of time. It is complicated but although our properties on Oregon Street would be included in the proposed Zoning Overlay for historic and view corridors to the current zoning laws we won't be affected in our current height variance of 35'. My concern was when the real estate market turns around and the condo's being developed on either end of this street begin to sell again, more development would mean more on street parking will disappear. This would de-value our property unless we could add a garage which would require our current building height to go up to allowable 35' tall. John and I have no desire to do these additions but if forced to sell we obviously don't want to sell short because of a zoning change. In the end this is a non-issue. It looks like these zoning changes will go to City Council in September and most likely pass.

Here are some of the pictures I took of Oregon St for this meeting.

Monastery Apt was where John lived in the 90's for a couple of years.

View looking up Oregon Street from Monastery entrance.

Only 1 of these $800.0 K to $1M condo's have sold in 3+ years. The retaining wall supposedly cost over $1M. There were planned to be 12 units.

The retaining wall view Oregon Street residents, including our tenant have out their front door.

425 Oregon St... demolition was at least a year ago... the construction is slow. I just looked up the listing for this on huff.com today : "3500 square foot gem with rare 22X19 2car side by side garage, granite counter tops and elevator. Hurry still time to make interior changes." All this for $1.3M.

I believe this building will eventually need to be torn down.

Our little apartments on Oregon St. On the right hand side (415) is the first property I bought which was in 1990. I lived there for 10 years. John actually lived down the street in Monastery Apartments but we never met while we both lived on Oregon Street. I bought the attached property (413) in 1999. They are both really cute on the inside and rent well.

City View Tavern has a colorful past. I am going to post the article Jim Steiner wrote about City View in his Hill Yes column of the Mt Adams Newsletter from September 2008 at the end of this blog entry.

The house next to City View and one of the 5 buildings (including our and CV) that are only 1 story. This is where the incline used to come up the hill. It is such a bummer not one incline was preserved. Pittsburgh saved one of theirs and it is still operable and used today.

Condos (bay windows) and apartments (brick). One of these condo's is for sale,listed today at $239.5 for a 2 bedroom and 2 bathroom and no parking.

The Oregon Street Highland Towers apartments on the non-view side of the street.

This notice was posted on an abandoned rehab building. The rumor (from City View) is that the contractor ran out of money and the IRS has been unsuccessful in finding him.

According to this notice the fire department has declared the building a fire hazard and the police noted illegal activity is going on inside.

When the market does turn around I bet someone will buy this building for cheap. Added bonus will be that the neighbors will welcome the construction inconvenience.

The adjacent completed condos are pretty and have stunning views. The only thing I think is odd is that the contractors did not level the floors.

But the brick condos on the end on stunning. This picture shows how they condo's on Oregon and lower street Baum accommodate views with the hillside. Building on "stilts"the Mt Adams new construction way.

These condo's began after the modern ones at Monastery entrance to Oregon and sold out quickly and completely. Part of the reason probably is they are on the view side of the street. Additionally could be side by side parking garage. At any rate they sold in the $800 - $1M range so it wasn't that they were less expensive. One of these condo is listed for sale today at$895.0 for 3 bedroom, 4 bathroom 2 side by side garage and elevator. These are the homeowners that will most welcome construction traffic when someone buys the abandoned rehab building.

I wonder if this will get developed in the next 20 years. I bet it will...some of the best views of the river and downtown. At the end of Oregon are 10 condos called the Palisades.

These are the most expensive condos for sale in Mt Adams. They start at $2.3 million.

This drawing from one the Palisades sign's makes me a little nervous b/c of the yellow line drawn on the street. If Oregon St becomes 2 way that would take all the off street parking.

Close up of one of the Palisades garage entrances. Now the article about City View

Hill Yes!

A look back at Mt. Adams

Jim Steiner

Urban myths have a way of getting a life of their own. I had always heard about Charlie Manson and his time on the Hill. He was banned from the City View Tavern for getting wasted on tequila and starting fights. Was it true or was it legend? I decided to see what I could find out by interviewing Deb Henning, the current co-owner of the City View Tavern on Oregon Street. Why Deb? She bought the place from the guy who was the owner when Charlie frequented the establishment. Deb and I met in the Tavern and began a conversation.

The building that houses the City View was built circa 1875. In 1891, it was owned by Thomas Spain, a coppersmith who lived on Celestial Street. Mr. Spain ran a grocery store; he added a couple of bar stools and began selling beer as a sideline in 1901. Bernard Recklingloh bought the place in 1906, and it became know as Recklinloh's Grocery. Beer was still sold. Today , we put an Arby's in a gas station and think we're doing something new.

In 1917, George Lagemann, a butcher who worked for Mr. Recklinloh and lived above the grocery, bought the place. George raised his family on the second floor while running the grocery and saloon. One of George's sons, Ted, took over the place when George could no longer run it.

During the Christmas holidays, Lagemann's sold trees as a family project. Everyone pitched in and helped. There was a cousin who was, in the vernacular of the time, "slow". He was a good worker as long as he had specific directions. After Christmas 1946, as was the custom, the remaining trees were burned in the backyard of the grocery. Ted told the cousin to take care of burning the leftover trees. Unfortunately, he didn't tell him to move them from the side of the building. The second story of the building was destroyed by fire and never replaced. After the fire, Ted added a porch to the back of the grocery and renamed the place City View Tavern.

Ted ran the business his way. he did not tolerate foul lanquage as there were children around, and he wanted to encourage family business. He closed at 1 am because his philosophy was if you couldn't get a buzz on by then you weren't really trying. He also discouraged drunks from hanging out because he believed they chased his good customer away.

Ted didn't believe in Happy Hour; he felt that it was always happy hour. Ted had the song "Sweeter than the Flowers" by Moon Mulligan placed on the juke box in honor of his wife Murt. He played the song all the time; it's still on the juke box today. In the early 1960s, Charlie Manson lived on Oregon Street near the corner of Oregon and Monastery. He frequented the City View and drank exclusively tequila... lots of tequila. One evening, he tried to fly off the back porch. Ted stopped him and then banned tequila from the place because "It wasn't Charlie who was the problem; it was the tequila." This event is known as "The Legend of Charlie and Jose Cuervo." You still can't buy tequila today at the City View Tavern.

Ted's health deteriorated in 1985, and he told Deb Henning that he was ready to sell the place to her. She bought it and began the process of cleaning it up and restoring the facade to reflect the way it looked in 1917. She retained the old tables and chairs and the knotty pine paneling. There are lots of old pictures and memorabilia that Deb treasures. She replaced the porch with a deck in 1990. Deb took on a business partner, Silas Evans who began work at the Tavern in 1999 as a bartender.

Deb worked for Ted from time to time before buying him out and learned much about the bar business from him. She continues to practive many of the things Ted taught her and his memory can still be felt at the City View Tavern.

What started out as a story on the urban myth of Charlie Manson, tequila and the City View Tavern ended up being a story of Ted Lagemann, his very special tavern, and his legacy passed down to the present.

Stop by the City View and enjoy the ambiance. Order a Big Ted burger, which Ted named after himself, but do NOT order tequila.

Top 10 Secrets of Successful Adoption Travel

This is the title of a recent article from Adoptive Families, a magazine we subscribe to. So below are the top 10 secrets and my comments in red. 10. Get in shape, and stay that way. If you are traveling for your first child and you are not adopting a newborn (us) you may be surprised to learn how hard it is to carry a 15-20 pound baby. This is a valid point and does not even address being older. Both of us are working on this suggestion. 9. Choose your traveling companion wisely. If you are not traveling with a spouse, you should consider bringing a friend or relative to help. Be sure to choose someone whose temperament, health and enthusiasm are suited for this important and demanding job. Plan on traveling with spouse... but if spouse was not able to travel I'm certain family or friends could step in. This is a non-issue. 8. Be prepared before you get "the call". This advice seems to pertain more to domestic adoptions (IE make list of all things you need to take with you, have as many items pack as possible, etc.) For international adoptions (at least for China) the time from "the call" to travel is 6-8 weeks. 7. If you're staying a while, make yourself at home. Again I think this applies to domestic adoptions. Our trip, most likely 2 weeks but could be 3, will be a planned itinerary. We are both experienced at international travel as well and open minded to expected delays, etc. 6. Research your destination ahead of time. Again this advice seems to be directed to domestic adoptive parents (IE. "a GPS is helpful"). John and I have enjoyed reading about China and the many China DVDs we have purchased. Additionally we feel certain our trip will also be well orchestrated. 5. Give your older child affection and appreciation. N/A. 4. Reassure the child left at home. N/A. 3. Buy it when you see it, and get it home safely. I've heard this advice before from my grandmother, specifically when we were traveling to England, and she was right. This is more of the advice I find easy to embrace. Anyhow here is how the article put it: Though shopping may be the last thing on a tired new parent's mind, whether you travel to New Mexico or a more exotic destination abroad, bring home something to remember the trip by usually proves irresistible. If you see somthing you like - well-made jewelry, crafts that are especially representative of your child's original home, unusual artwork - don't count on finding it at a better price or a different location. To bring your treasures home safely, take an empty duffel bag or buy an inexpensive suitcase at your destination and pack new purchases in it. Unlike advice tip #10 this advice is easy to embrace. 2. Don't rely on your memory. After the stress of being in a strange place and caring for a new child, you may not remember the details of the journey, and still photos won't capture the sounds, smells, and feeling you'll experience. Take the time to keep a record of your trip. Some parents used their e-mails to document their trip, some tape recorders to document street sounds, baby sounds (coos, babbles, words and so on) and their observations. All this sounds like good advice. We plan on using some blogging, e-mails, flip video camera and possibly a small recorder (I have one somewhere) 1. Take along your sense of wonder. If you can face surprises and keep your composure, you'll have a more enjoyable trip and be a better parent. Think of adoption travel as an adventure. Even the stuff that goes wrong, the miss connecting flight, unpleasant gastrointestinal bug, baby throw up on last clean outfit, you can consold eyourself with one thought: this trip will make a great store someday. So true.

A walk in our garden

This morning I took the coffee grounds to the garden. We put coffee grounds next to the hostas to encourage the snails to move along and stop eating here. From the pictures below you can see I do not do this often enough.

I also deadheaded the daylilies this morning. This orange daylily is from the patio tier. Daylilies love the soil in Ohio and have to be thinned often. This flower is by far the easiest one to grow in our garden. Fortunately they have a long bloom season which is a nice bonus for a perennial.

The black eyed Susan's are just starting to bloom. In a couple of weeks this area will be a beautiful bed of yellow.

Next level down, adjacent to the cobblestone path, are the coral bells. We have 2 varieties of coral bells planted in this bed and I think add a nice color and texture even when they are past bloom.

Another texture plant is the brunnera which we planted with the ivy last year and it seems to like this area. If you look close you can see the glass butterfly feeder I bought because it resembles the brunnera bloom.

The Japanese maple is also thriving in this area. It looks so different (both color and shape) from where it was located 3 years ago. The hostas are just past their prime bloom. I'm really happy with the caladiums that are just starting to bloom. In this next picture you can see how the snails are feasting on the hostas.

Close up of the caladiums. I really love their color and heart shape.

Next is a close up of one of the daylilies from the perennial bed below our grass tier. These were transplanted from the patio area last fall.

Looking up towards the back of our house.

Next is a picture looking up at the perennial bed daylilies from the back gate entrance.

The Hydrangeas in the perennial bed are just coming into bloom. These blooms will gradually turn pink.

The switch grass on the back slope.

The sedum next to the steps on the back slope is filling in well in the 3 years since it was initially planted.

The steps are being re-set now and lucky for us the landscapers are weeding the slope. Yucca post bloom. These plants blooms were considerably better than previous year. They are not as big as the ones at Krohn but may be over time.

The slope.

The view from the deck off our kitchen.

Another apartment finished July 9 2009

I just finished cleaning and painting this apartment today. This is my favorite of the five we rent. The first picture is the bedroom fireplace. Although tenants rarely use it is operable and adds ambience. We had chimney sweeps clean all the fireplace last fall. Next picture shows the one tiny bedrooom closet (built in 1874) but since the rooms are oversized it can accomodate furniture to hold clothes.

This picture shows where the previous tenant put her bed. Actually every tenant has put their bed in this location. Next picture shows living room with previous tenants things.

These pictures were taken today after final cleaning.

This is the fireplace that gets used in this apt.

Next picture shows the curtains I was secretly hoping the previous tenant would leave when she moved out. She took them with her to Charleston when she moved.

So these are the curtains I recycled (2 panels sewn together). My sewing skills have improved but I am not very good, nor do I enjoy sewing unfortunately.

TI let the next tenant pick the bathroom and kitchen colors. I didn't particularly care for the jade green she chose for the bathroom at first .... but now it is starting to grow on me.

I however love the gray she chose for the kitchen. Besides looking great against the brick and floors the woodwork and doors really pop.

In this next picture you can also barely see the toaster left by tenants previous to the last one. Urban living requires creative solutions for small spaces.

The vent above the stove hood is fake. We added that about 3 tenants ago. The floors had not been painted 3 1/2 years. I had to paint in stages to be able to paint under the applicances. Here you can see how it really cleans up the kitchen.

Painting behind the stove.

The portable dishwasher moves around really easily which made painting a little easier.

Letting the floors dry for a couple days.

I moved the island to the back deck and will clean it and move in tonight.

July 2009 New Baby

The big news in our "big family" is the addition of a new baby! My niece Jessica and her husband Clint adopted (domestic) this sweet little girl whose name is Cecelia Ann. She was born on May 7 and was a preemie.

The attached picture is one they posted on facebook the day they received Cecelia which was last Tuesday, June 30. This picture was taken minutes after they received her and I think their smiles probably say it all.

Cecelia is my parents first great grandchild and my brother Tim and his wife Beth's first grandchild.

The family shower is next Sunday July 12. I bought the 3 Reds onesies (Clint is a big Red's fan) at the Red's game we went to yesterday (Reds v Diamondbacks , great game and Red's won). I ordered a baby burrito swaddler and Mama Rose travel kit online and hope they arrive in time for the shower. The swaddler and Mama Rose products are highly recommended items from the parenting podcast I listen to regularly which is Babiesandmomradio.com

I ordered the baby burrito swaddler in the pattern below. The reason I chose this pattern was Jessica and Clint's website and nursery pictures have dots and I thought it's pretty cutre too. . The swaddler is 100% cotton, handmade and fits smallest of newborns up to chubby 4 month olds. It comes with a free dvd about sleep tips.

And this is the Mama Rose travel kit I bought. Oh the moms on Babies and Moms love this 100% natural, alcohol free line.

I truly appreciate the internet for many things, including the facebook info we got on this milestone event and the ease of shopping for a shower with limited time.