Historical February 1980 report or notice. Original dates, prices and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
To the editor: This is an open letter to my friends and neighbors of 6100 McPherson.
I completely empathize with the anxiety they are presently experiencing over the location of a restaurant with a liquor license near the end of their residential street. My husband and I had many of the same reservations when we lived in the Loop area on Delmar and we discovered that a bar was moving into the storefront over which we lived. We feared the worst.
However. I can reassure the McPherson residents. Our experience was that the key element is management responsibility. Joe and Linda Edwards, owners of Blueberry Hill, were determined that their business would be respectable and not a detraction to the neighborhood. They had a long struggle convincing the neighborhood (not to mention the University City Council). Now we are all witnesses to the revitalization of the Loop. and Blueberry Hill was one of the cornerstones of that effort.
In all the printed material I have read on this issue, the residents seem happy with the type of management the Hamiltons and the Sailers have provided for the Sherman Apartments. Why would they wish to undermine their efforts and investment by running a sleezy little hangout in the building? After all, they live almost as close to the proposed site as the McPherson residents.
There are at least a few things worse than living near a restaurant. One of these is living near an abandoned area. The ground floor of this building is now unoccupied. The Sinclair station closes early. The Grace Methodist parking lot is usually empty after dark. This is an invitation to criminal activity. In my opinion, a well-lighted, bustling commercial enterprise on this corner is just what the neighborhood needs.
I participated in four or five Rosedale Dinner Theatre productions in the past years. There were many evening rehearsals at Grace Methodist. Due to the areas designated No Parking on Waterman I was often forced to park on Skinker. It was dark and deserted. It seemed to me that there were lots of parking spaces on both sides of Skinker. There was just no one to use them.
I sincerely hope the residents of McPherson will reconsider their opposition to this restaurant. I also hope they will do so with a measure of grace. Disagreement can be healthy. Skinker-DeBaliviere thrives on differences of opinion. But this argument is degenerating into unpleasantness and unhappiness. Let none of us do or say things that will impair our ability to live together when this issue is resolved. Hopefully. Karen A. Bynum
Originally published in The Paper, February 1980.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1980_02.pdf, printed page(s) 2; PDF page(s) 2.
