Readers express strong opposition to proposed demolition of restaurant
“I will chain myself to the building before I allow anything to happen to it,” one fan of Hunter House Hamburgers has vowed, after a developer won preliminary approval of a plan to demolish the vintage restaurant for a five-story development.
The comment was one of hundreds on a story on The Oakland Press’ Facebook page about the Birmingham Planning Board’s vote.
Almost all commenters expressed hope that the small, white porcelain restaurant at 35075 Woodward Ave. can stick around. It has been a fixture in Birmingham since 1952.
Hesham Gayar of Grand Blanc is proposing a retail, office and residential development on the site.
The city owns a small portion of the land needed for the project; Gayar must stiill secure approval from the City Commission for a sale or lease. No date has been set for the issue to come before the commission. Also, a court fight may be looming. Kelly Cobb, whose family owns Hunter House, has said he may have no choice but to sue Gayar over what he called violations of his property agreement with Gayar.
Gayar could not be reached for comment.
Cobb said Gayar has pledged to reserve space on the first floor of the proposed development for Hunter House to relocate. But Cobb says the space isn’t adequate for a restaurant’s operations.
And it wouldn’t be the same, say loyal Hunter House fans.
“You can’t just incorporate that business into a new building,” one reader said. “Modernize it and it will never be the same.”
Other readers wondered why the nearly 70-year-old restaurant can’t obtain a historic designation that would protect it.
Here is a sampling of comments:
• “Looks like it’s all about the money. Keep Hunter House as it stands!”
• “Don’t piss off the community.”
• “Ruining the quaint town of Birmingham by allowing all these high-rise buildings to be put up.”
• “Here we go again. They’ll just mow over the little guy.”
• “Damn developers. They have no sense of history, tradition or honor.”