So I read online this morning about The Lancer Steak House burning down.  I figured I would grab my new camera and check it out.

 

 

 

 

Nice to see CFD getting in the holiday spirit

 

That's a little flare up in the window

 

 

 

Edit by Sherman Cahal: Added city to subject.

this is too bad. I think this was a vibrant part of the area.

Looks well-done - as in finished.

wow that is awful.

 

as the peedee sez, the lancer was the most prominent black owned restaurant in cleveland.

 

not to mention, damn i wanted to do a thread on old ohio steakhouses sometime and even though it only went back to 1960 this one was high on the list.

 

more:

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/12/the_lancer_steakhouse_destroye.html

I'll take it charred.

wow that is awful.

 

as the peedee sez, the lancer was the most prominent black owned restaurant in cleveland.

 

not to mention, damn i wanted to do a thread on old ohio steakhouses sometime and even though it only went back to 1960 this one was high on the list.

 

more:

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/12/the_lancer_steakhouse_destroye.html

 

My grand father cannot believe it's gone. 

wow that is awful.

 

as the peedee sez, the lancer was the most prominent black owned restaurant in cleveland.

 

not to mention, damn i wanted to do a thread on old ohio steakhouses sometime and even though it only went back to 1960 this one was high on the list.

 

more:

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/12/the_lancer_steakhouse_destroye.html

 

My grand father cannot believe it's gone.

 

MTS, do you know if it was actually a good steakhouse, or was it more of a meeting/social place?

MTS, do you know if it was actually a good steakhouse, or was it more of a meeting/social place?

 

 

 

The fish was better to me, but there was nothing wrong with the steak.  My grandfather would take my grandmother out there.

 

My uncle sent me this pic of the general

 

It was a place to see and be seen in Cleveland black society until the 90s, then it just became a "great" neighborhood institution.

Will they be able to rebuild with insurance money?

Will they be able to rebuild with insurance money?

 

Honey, there was no insurance.  But it looks like a community fund is in the works.

Will they be able to rebuild with insurance money?

 

Honey, there was no insurance. But it looks like a community fund is in the works.

 

That's good.  Why no insurance though?  Excuse me for being a novice in these regards, but is it common for businesses not to have insurance as homeowners do?

Will they be able to rebuild with insurance money?

 

Honey, there was no insurance.  But it looks like a community fund is in the works.

 

That's good.  Why no insurance though?  Excuse me for being a novice in these regards, but is it common for businesses not to have insurance as homeowners do?

 

Thats the 64 million dollar question.

I think that when you have debt on a property, the bank usually requires insurance.  If you have no debt, there is not anyone requiring you to insure.  If they owned the building flat out, perhaps this is why there was no insurance.

I think that when you have debt on a property, the bank usually requires insurance.  If you have no debt, there is not anyone requiring you to insure.  If they owned the building flat out, perhaps this is why there was no insurance.

 

However, that still makes no sense that a business has not insurance.  There is more to this.  stay tuned.

Will they be able to rebuild with insurance money?

 

Honey, there was no insurance. But it looks like a community fund is in the works.

 

I almost dont think this warrants/deserves a community fund, since it was so irresponsible on the owners part. 

I think that when you have debt on a property, the bank usually requires insurance. If you have no debt, there is not anyone requiring you to insure. If they owned the building flat out, perhaps this is why there was no insurance.

 

However, that still makes no sense that a business has not insurance. There is more to this. stay tuned.

 

I can't see who would stand to gain from burning a building down because it has no insurance.  If it was arson, it seems more like a crime targeted at the owner, in which case the arsonist would likely not care whether the building has insurance or not.

 

If it was arson, I sure hope they find out who did it.

Folks, I wouldn't speculate as to arson...after all it was a restaurant...lot's of opportunities for something to go wrong in such a setting...especially in family own institutions that don't have night crews and good safety policies (corporate restaurants suck but that is where they are good...they have rules and regs out the a%#) where just one careless employee leaving something on could cause a disaster...although also speculation on my part, this is my guess as to the more likely cause.

I almost dont think this warrants/deserves a community fund, since it was so irresponsible on the owners part.

Damn shame.  Not many places like this left in the city, or really this country for that matter.

The place was one of those old-school places where legit politicians and crime bosses could mix without either worrying about their reputations. Even hizzoner sent out a statement about Lancer's to media today.........

 

 

http://www.city.cleveland.oh.us:80/CityofCleveland/Home/PressRelease/prdetail?id=5963

 

A Statement from Mayor Frank G. Jackson

Monday, December 7, 2009

 

“Lancer Steakhouse has been the place of celebration for many historical and significant events - a gathering place for people from all walks of life,” said Mayor Frank G. Jackson. “This historic Cleveland landmark has been a staple in the community for many years and is known across the country. I stand with the community awaiting a rebuild of Lancer Steakhouse.”

In todays PD, hopefully they can re-build:

 

Its a shame (and Murphys law) that it happened like this.....

"Five months before Sunday's blaze, Dixon stopped paying the premiums on his business insurance coverage. In a tough economic year, he let his insurance lapse to save money, he said.

 

He hoped to resume coverage after a profitable holiday season, start fresh in the new year. That was the plan. His eyes mist to tell it. "I gambled and I lost"

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/12/lancers_owner_vows_to_reopen_l.html

 

... Its a shame (and Murphys law) that it happened like this.....

"Five months before Sunday's blaze, Dixon stopped paying the premiums on his business insurance coverage. ...

 

That's sad. For my family, things worked just the opposite way. In 1960, on the afternoon that the big barn on my family's farm burned to the ground, a letter lay on the kitchen windowsill. Dad had written the letter to the insurance company the evening before, stating his desire to discontinue insurance on the barn because we had sold the cows and quit the dairy business. He intended to mail the letter on the way to work in the morning, and forgot it.