Restaurant owner critical of hospital’s plan
By Wayne A use
Of Mm Knur aid
Lenny Nathan does not hate Sacred Heart General
Hospital.
"In general, I think they're a good hospital. 1 like
'em." But, Nathan says, "It ain't the Pope standing
over there blessing me, either."
The lease on Lenny's Nosh Bar, Nathan’s
restaurant, expires in March. Although he is not cer
tain, Nathan believes Sacred Heart, which owns the
property, will not renew his lease. In fact, a little over a
year ago. "they tried to kick me out ahead of time." he
says.
"Now. after they tried to get me out ahead of time,
what would you assume when they can legally and
with no problem get me out? They're going to get me
out, right?" Nathan says.
Nathan moved to Eugene from San Francisco to
years ago to open a restaurant and bar with his son. but
the deal fell through and Nathan decided to open a
place of his own instead. In March 1979, Nathan began
selling food in a cubicle he named tunny's Nosh Bar,
tucked away in a little courtyard on 13th Avenue near
the University campus.
"I knew I had seven years, but 1 thought they
would renew (the lease)." So he bought a beer and wine
license, bought out his neighbor's lease and expanded
his restaurant to twice its original size.
Nathan spent nearly $40,000 with the expectation
of being able to stay at his present location for longer
than the original lease specified.
When neighboring Sahalie Natural Foods made a
deal with the hospital to move across the street so that
Sacred Heart could use the space for parking. Nathan
reacted positively. He approved of the way Sacred
Heart helped Sahalie move to such an ideal location.;
"If I'd known that one was available. 1 would've
grabbed it in a minute," he says.
But when the city of Kugene started its new parking
plan in the University district two years ago, the event
triggered a reaction from Sacred Heart that cast a
shadow on Nathan's hopes for the future.
“This all started when the city came up with that
new parking plan, it's all with different letters on your
car, and you can park two hours.. .that’s when this
whole thing came up, after that. We were doing fine un
til then," he says.
What followed was a complicated series of events
based on a dispute over leasing rights to The Courtyard.
Nathan explains that the original lease holder on The
Courtyard, Frank Mowreader, fixed up the area and of
fered subleases to Nathan and other businesses.
But when Mowreader's own four-year lease ex
pired, he failed tc renew his option within the legally
specified tbua. The catch, Nathan says, was that
Mowreader continued to offer subleases to people wan
ting space in The Courtyard past the time when his own
lease had expired, and Sacred Heart approved the sub
leases anyway.
But in May 1984, when faced with a perceived
parking crunch. Sacred Heart decided it should stop
leasing The Courtyard to Mowreader and transform the
site into a parking lot, Nathan says.
"Boom, they sent out eviction notices,” Nathan
says. "I said no. I went over and told 'em. ‘Hey, 1 ain't
going.' ”
Lenny said he told Sacred Heart officials that they
approved Mowreader's sub-leasing The Courtyard
without his having a lease of his own — in effect saying .
that Mowreader did have a lease. -
"Otherwise, how could he lease The Courtyard out
and they (Sacred Heart) say,.‘all right’? They screwed
up." Nathan says. "What it all boiled down to was that
legally Sacred Heart would have had a real fight to get
us out, so they dropped it.” .
Sacred Heart has not told Nathan that he will be
evicted, but because hospital officials still contend
more parking is needed, it appears that it is only a mat
ter of time before before the restaurant is removed.
"They haven't guaranteed me that I've got to get
Photo by Kirun Stallwood
Umny Nathan, owner of Irony's Nosh Bar, fears that Sacred Heart General Hospital, which has expressed a
need for more parking space, has no intention of renewing his lease when it expires in March.
out, but they’re not talking about renewing the lease,
and the lease is up. What else I gotta know?” Nathan
says.
Nathan emphasizes that he has no hard feelings
toward Sacred Heart. "This is not Sacred Heart’s pro
blem. I’m not saying that they owe me anything. 1 don't
blame them for anything.
“The only thing I have to say about this whole
situation is that 1 don’t think they really need all this
parking. I think that's a lot of bull,” he says. "I don’t
see the need for parking with all the parking there is in
this structure across the street. How much do they need
for Christ’s sake?”
Nathan says the best possibility for saving the
restaurant would be if the city of Eugene stepped in and
barred the hospital from demolishing The Courtyard.
There also is a chance that Sacred Heart might back off
in the face of poor publicity.
“They’re very sensitive to bad press. They spend
hundreds of thousands of dollars getting good press,”
Nathan says. “You see on television. ‘The hospital with
a heart,’ or ‘The place with a heart,’ and how wonderful
they were to this little girl that was in there having a
baby or whatever. You hear that on TV. I’ll go on and
I’ll tell ’em, ’They threw me out.’ ”
Nathan says he appreciates the support University
students have shown his restaurant, although he doubts
how effective their efforts to save the popular eatery
nave Deen.
“I don’t even know what they're doing, really.
They’re»a little bit disorganized I would say,” Nathan
says. "Christ, they had some kind of benefit a while ago
and people were coming around here asking me.
‘.Where is-it?’ It was supposed to be at Animal House,
but there was nobody there. They-were advertising it on
the radio and it wasn’t there.”' *
. . .. ■ • . ■
Nathan says he understands the anger, many . •
students feel toward Sacred.Heart. “You find a place
that's got a little atmosphere for yourself ip youf spare ,‘
time, a place where you feel comfortable to hang out
and meet each other, and they're going to tear it down
and put in a parking lot. .That wduld piss me off.'toc.”.
In his view, the reason Sacred Heart Wants to tear „ •
down Ijenny^s N'osh Bar is "not entirely because of the '
parking situation. Part of the reason is the "nature of the
place. •. . % ' . • . *
"I've got the wrong kind of place for-them ”They
don't like this; it’s too funky. I'm sure they would
much /ather see ‘VVendy's here than I^eriny's because
that's their mental attitude over there ". '
Regardless of the reason,.Nathan is convinced that
Sacred Heart will hot let him stay on its property. And
in the future. Nathan says he is .not .sure exactly what
Will happen.*1 ." .. ...
• "I don’t kno\y anything for sure, but'Ldon’t think I
want to relocate, That would be the end of it°1f 1 can t,
stay here.”
If he 4>d relocate, Nathan says it would probably ” ’
in Kugene somewhere; ”1 might do it here because I
have a certain following that I could naturally
' capitalize on.” But. he adds, “I don’t .want to go into °
debt for another 30 or 40 grand.”
At present , Nathan still has three and a half months
to sell Lenny’s where he is.now. But at age 65, Nathan
figures he will probably have to begin .relying.on ihe
government for his income-. Nathan clearly is not happy
about the prospect, but he hasn’t lost his-sense'of
humor about it either.’ ' * . '• •
“1 wish I'd stayed in California when you get down
to it now. In o|her words, I really didn’t set myself up
too good for my old age," Nathan says. “As it is. I’m
going to be living off Social Security, which means I’ll
have to start eating dog food, you know.”
Police beat
A suspect entered the shower room at
Adams Dorm Dec. S at 9:20 a.m. A
woman in the shower room chased the
suspect, who fled on foot. He is describ
ed as a white male, 30-40 years old. 6
feet, 165 pounds. He was wearing a blue
baseball hat, blue jeans and a blue jacket.
An anonymous phone caller alerted
Campus Security regarding an injured
woman in a restroom in the Education
Annex Dec. 5 at 8:30 p.m. Officers
responding to the call didn't find the
woman, but blood was discovered in the
restroom area. The incident is being
investigated.
A wool coat valued at $125 was stolen
from Hawthorne Dorm between Dec. 5-8.
Three white male suspects were
observed carrying a 2 5-foot spruce tree
away from the vicinity of 13th Avenue
and Kincaid Street Dec. 6 at 12:30 a.m.
The tree was valued at $2,000.
Oregon Daily Emerald
An EMU bomb threat was phoned into
the Eugene Police Department at 5:05
p.m. Dec. 6. The building was searched,
but no bomb was found.
A VCR and two movie cassettes rented
from the University Bookstore Dec. 2
were reported stolen Saturday after they
were not returned. The equipment was
valued at $429.
A lamppost valued at $500 was push
ed over near the University Inn Satur
day. Three white male suspects were
observed near the scene, but no citations
were issued.
A bulletin board in Caswell Dorm was
set afire on Saturday or Sunday. The
wall was scorched and a light fixture was
damaged. Police are investigating the in
cident as felony arson. No damage
estimate was determined.
The Hamilton complex mail room was
burglarized on Saturday or Sunday.
Numerous mailboxes were broken into
and mail was scattered about the room.
Police are still compiling a list of stolen
items.
A camera and accessories valued at
$1404 were stolen from a vehicle parked
near Lawrence Hall Sunday between 7-8
p.m.
A sanitary napkin dispenser in the
Law School was broken into on Sunday
or Monday. A small amount of change
was stolen.
Miniature sculptures, jewelry, pewter
spoons and an undetermined amount of
cash and checks were stolen from the
Museum of Natural History giftshop bet
ween Sunday and Monday. Estimated
valued of the items was $400.
Hai Thanh Tran, 19, a resident of Par
sons Hall, was cited and released for
shoplifting at the University Bookstore
Monday.
A suspect entered the Kappa Kappa
Gamma sorority Tuesday at 4:45 a.m.
He entered a woman’s room and she
awoke to find him standing naked near
her bed. She threw things at him and he
fled. He is described as a white male,
25-35 years old, 5 feet 9 inches, with a
medium build and dark brown hair.
Police said it was unknown how the man
entered the house.
A wallet and contents valued at $34
were stolen from the Main Library Tues
day between noon and 2 p.m. The wallet
was returned after it was found without
the cash in a parking lot.
Christina Elizabeth O’Connell, 18,
1504 E. 15th Ave., was cited and releas
ed for shoplifting at the University
Bookstore Wednesday.
Two bicycles were stolen; none was
recovered.
Compiled by Kim Kaady
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