SERVING Burlingame • Capitol Hill INSIDE: • Garden Home Our annual • Glen Cullen • Hillsdale • Multnomah Village Holiday Guide • Raleigh Hills • South Portland of local events • Vermont Hills • West Portland Celebrating 20 years of continuous Southwest news coverage! – Page 5 Volume No. 21, Issue No. 2 www.swportlandpost.com Portland, Oregon Complimentary December 2012 Clyde Lewis goes ghost hunting in the basement of Fat City Café saying, “All the waitresses were playgirls By Don Snedecor back then.” The Southwest Portland Post “None of them went out with the same guy twice, if you know what I mean. [Viv- It’s a Friday night in late October. It’s ian] had a little girl, and she was going out a cold one so I throw on a warm jacket, with this guy Symes, her boyfriend.” grab my camera, gather up my back- Helen Johnson, present owner of Fat pack, and head out the door. City Café, offers me a guided tour of When I get to Fat City Café in the crime scene. We walk behind the Multnomah Village, it’s hard to miss counter through the kitchen and start the fact that there is a hearse (that I first down the stairway past one of the bullet thought was a limousine) parked out in holes (circled with the date) and down front of the restaurant’s canopy. to the basement where Bob killed Vivian Inside, there’s a crowd of some 40 or and then killed himself with a 22-caliber 50 people jammed into the booths all pistol. listening to Clyde Lewis broadcasting The story goes that 30-year-old Vivian his nightly talk show on the paranormal Robinson was separated but not divorced called “Ground Zero.” from her husband, I.L. Robinson, while at As I walk in the door, a caller named the same time she was dating 58-year-old Rick mentions that he knew Bob Symes, Bob Symes, who lived just a few blocks away. who was dating the waitress Vivian Freda Felts discovered the bodies after Robinson who was shot and killed in a taking an hour break. According to a report murder-suicide back in ’73 on the stairs in The Oregonian newspaper the next day, Dr. Jonathon Burgess (right) and an associate prepare the Golden Box with a leading down to the basement of the “Detectives said they knew of no reason for metallic globe and flux capacitor in the basement of Fat City Cafe, October 26. restaurant. the incident.” They said Mrs. Robinson and Photos of Vivian Robinson and Mayo Methot sit on an altar in the background. I spent one morning digging through the Symes “were acquainted.” (Post photo by Don Snedecor) files. It was Mother’s Day, May 14, 1973 I’m soon introduced to Dr. Jonathon when the place was called the Nu Café and Burgess, who has built a box about the sheet metal. Burgess soon has it set fiction junkies know was the gadget the owners were Art and Freda Felts. size of the Ark of the Covenant in the up with some kind of metallic globe that controlled the DeLorean sports In a 1996 interview with The Post, former movie “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” equipped with what he calls a “flux car/time machine in the movie “Back Nu Café owner Art Felts was quoted as The box is covered in gold-colored capacitor,” which we all of us science (Continued on Page 7) City finalizes latest construction project for Multnomah Village called the Multnomah Village Stormwa- Bureau of Environmental Services will be disrupted as little as possible. By Erik Vidstrand ter Project with the Multnomah Village begin construction in early March 2013. “Obviously merchants are con- The Southwest Portland Post Business Association at its October 25 It expected to last 90 days and will dis- cerned,” responded Sykes, “but all meeting. rupt business access at times. standard provisions will be provided City of Portland representatives After nearly four years of planning, The project entails the planting of the entire time.” shared the final draft of what’s being feedback and redesigns, the City’s trees, demolition of sidewalks and ex- This comes after years of sewer and panding them to nine feet along Capitol water construction on Multnomah Bou- Highway between 35th and 36th av- levard, in which merchants, residents enues in the heart of the Village. and shoppers alike became inpatient Wider sidewalks on both sides of and saw business decline. the street will allow the placement Members at the MVBA meeting urged of benches, tables and café seating in the city to help promote business as some places. Several bioswales will be usual during the spring construction installed at either end of this section. time and requested all construction But aesthetics was not on the minds of workers to park away from main busi- business owners at their recent meeting. ness areas. The main issues included disruption of Work will take place from 7:00 a.m. business access during construction, to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday lack of parking and less parking once and possibly some Sunday work which construction is over. will need a special variance application. “This process started back in 2008,” When asked about the possibility explained Stephen Sykes, project man- of moving utilities underground, the ager for the Bureau of Environmental response was that this was a very ex- Services. “Many years of meetings and pensive endeavor and would be the re- feedback were received during this time sponsibility of the business or property and it was crucial that no parking would owner to pay. Southwest Capitol Highway at 35th Avenue, looking west. (Illustration courtesy be lost.” Medium-sized native trees will of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services) In fact, parking will be a lot safer provide shade and were selected on according to landscape architect Ivy beauty, fall foliage and whether or not Dunlap. The angle in parking will be they would make a mess with fruit or Don’t forget to renew your subscription. Form on Page 2. retained but placed on the opposite side leaf droppings, said Dunlap. “Conifers of the street thus allowing drivers to would be too large for the area and The Southwest Portland Post back out in a safer fashion and bicyclists crack the sidewalk,” she said. 4207 SE Woodstock Blvd #509 to avoid collisions. “We are excited about the changes Portland, OR 97206 Jill Crecraft, owner of Sip d’Vine, had and livability factor,” commented one concerns about vehicles smashing into business owner who wished to remain storefront windows, since the curb will anonymous, “but the city needs to keep be the new barrier as cement wheel to their timetable, enforce construction stops will not be installed. worker parking, and get done by 90 MVBA President and Village Beads days.” owner Michele Cassinelli half-jokingly For more information about the said she would be taking her vacation Multnomah Village Stormwater Project, during the construction but the City please email ivy.dunlap@portlandoregon. assured merchants that business would gov or visit www.portlandonline.com/bes. 2 • The Southwest Portland Post EDITORIAL December 2012 • The entire name of the new facility Architects discusses master planning is NCNM’s Helfgott Research Institute and Community Education Center; it process for former Sears Armory is not the Helfgott Research Center, as noted in the caption. • Charlee’s Kitchen is not a “food FROM THE EDITOR’s Desk Someone asked if a community gar- preparation area,” but a teaching kitchen den was something that the neighbor- for our graduate students—and also hood was interested in on the site. A The Southwest Portland Post folks in the community who take our By Don Snedecor pocket park was another suggestion. 4207 SE Woodstock Blvd #509 new nutrition and cooking classes. The Southwest Portland Post A creative play area (with building Portland, OR 97206 • The degree program we offer at the materials) was another suggestion. A Fax: (866) 727-5336 Helfgott Research Institute is a Master playground was another idea. of Science in Integrative Medicine Re- Paul Falsetto, a representative of email: [email protected] search. the architecture firm of Carlton/Hart, • NCNM’s research dean spells her discussed the master planning pro- A streetscape named Multnomah last name as Zwickey, not Swickey. cess for the former Sears Armory site Village Reporter got his facts wrong I hope this note will help straighten (Southwest Multnomah Boulevard near out any misunderstandings in the fu- 25th Avenue) at the November meet- At the same MNA meeting, Stephen in story about NCNM ture. If you can correct these errors in ing of the Multnomah Neighborhood Sykes of the Portland Bureau of En- your next issue, we would appreciate it. Association. vironmental Services gave an update Thanks for Lee Perlman’s article on on the Multnomah Village Streetscape The Sears Armory was recently the grand opening of NCNM’s new Marilynn Considine (and Stormwater) Project. Plan is con- handed over from the U.S. Department Helfgott Research Institute and Com- Director, Public Relations struction for 90 days between March of Defense to the Portland Office of munity Education Center [“Naturo- & Communications and May. Lower lot of Multnomah Emergency Management. pathic college opens new downtown National College of Natural Medicine Falsetto said plans include an emer- Center will be paved and planted af- research facility, laboratory” November gency command center, fueling station, ter the Multnomah Village project is 2012]. Editor’s Note: The Post regrets the maintenance and repair facility, de-icing completed. While we loved reading the article, errors in the original story and stands equipment and supplies, NET training Parking will be diagonally along the there were a number of factual errors— corrected.