Take a good look

On the excellent Building on History blog, I see that the Raven & Rose restaurant in downtown Portland has gone under. That's too bad. I had a lunch there with a guy from work once. It was nice.

But what's really depressing about the closure is the fact that the gorgeous old historic building in which the eatery operated, the Ladd carriage house, is now going to be empty. OMG, a vacant building in downtown Portland. One made of wood, no less. You can imagine what's going to happen to it now. I shudder to think.

There was a time when Portlanders would think, "It's so nice, the cops will keep an eye on it." But we all know those days are long gone. If I had to predict the next story you'll read about the place, I'd say it will be story of how it burned.