Golden Bear and Plans for Demolition

News articles about the impending demolition of the legendary Golden Bear night club amounts to “historical” genocide by the Huntington Beach City Council and the redevelopment company. The club’s destruction won’t just bulldoze a part of that city’s history, but will erase forever Orange County’s contribution to pop history and eliminate yet another small-scale site for original music.

If the Golden Bear goes, a part of America’s pop music history goes with it. The Bear is as legendary as the Ritz in New York and the Troubadour in Hollywood. The musicians who have performed on the Bear’s stage amount to a “Who’s Who” in pop music.

Huntington Beach’s redevelopment plan and its approach can be described as a scorched-earth policy, wiping out another portion of Orange County’s link to its past and a part of America’s small-town architecture and heritage.

Yet, public debate isn’t taking place. Why not? Far too many memories are cemented to the Bear for music fans not to express their frustration, disappointment and concern. Also, there are too many questions that require answers.

Why didn’t the city and Chamber of Commerce recognize the Bear’s tourist appeal and market its musical legacy as a legitimate and significant entertainment attraction?

- How did the Bear operators lose their lease?

- Why didn’t the Bear operators put on a series of “benefit” concerts, assuming they were in financial straits?

- Why didn’t the city exclude the Bear from seismic codes with a variance and encourage renovation and incorporate it into the redevelopment plan?

- Will the Bear be demolished without music fans openly denouncing its impending doom?

CORTNEY WELCH

Huntington Beach