CJ's

[Rip Rap]

NOOOOO!!!!!

http://www.wndu.com/news/012005/news_39754.php

Gateway building collapses on CJ's Pub

The remainder of the Gateway complex collapsed onto the roof of CJ's Pub




Posted: 01/19/2005 05:06 pm
Last Updated: 01/19/2005 05:06 pm

South Bend, IN - The old Gateway apartment complex has been under demolition for about a week but Wednesday afternoon the remainder of the six-story building collapsed on CJ’s Pub on North Michigan Street.

Crews from Warner and Sons of Osceola had been tearing down the complex, now owned by Memorial Health System, when the unexpected collapse occurred.

A cook, a waitress and a bartender were inside the pub when the Gateway building collapsed. They escaped unhurt.

Rick Medick, the owner of CJ’s Pub, says, “It sounded like a bomb going off. I was just walking into the building. I missed the whole collapse by about 10 seconds. I guess I am pretty lucky.”

The wrecking crew is working to stabilize the rubble and pull debris off of CJ’s Pub. Utility crews have also been working on the situation.

Medick says there is serious structural damage to the pub.

Memorial Health System owns the building and property. The hospital issued a statements saying they are thankful no one was injured in the collapse. “We will be working closely with our contractor and their insurance company to investigate the cause and identify next steps to restore the damaged pub and proceed with the removal of debris."

The hospital has plans to turn the property into a parking lot.

 

[Rip Rap]

http://www.southbendtribune.com/sto...s.20050504-sbt-MICH-C8-CJ_s_hopes_to_beat.sto

CJ's hopes to beat clock
By ANDREW SOUKUP
Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- When Tom Gorman heard a building collapsed on CJ's Pub in late January, he immediately wanted to help.

Gorman, a former defensive tackle who was on the University of Notre Dame's 1988 national championship team, now works as a lawyer in Chicago.

But when he attended Notre Dame, Gorman was a frequent customer at the popular burger restaurant in downtown South Bend.

"These are proud people, and they don't take help from anybody," said Gorman, the lawyer representing owners Judy Gish, Cindy Medich and Rick Medich.

"They were there for me whenever I needed them. They fed a hungry law student on a number of occasions."

In late January, the six-story Gateway Center, which was being torn down as part of Memorial Hospital's expansion, unexpectedly tumbled down during a demolition project gone awry. Chunks of rubble fell on neighboring CJ's, causing thousands of dollars in damages.

The accident took out a chunk of CJ's north wall, damaged the building's heating and air conditioning system, and contributed to water damage in the restaurant. A professional cleaning crew will be needed to eliminate all the dust that has built up since the collapse.

The restaurant has been closed since the Jan. 19 accident.

A sign on the door boldly promises that CJ's will reopen. But the opening date is still unclear.

Gorman said the restaurant's owners are hoping to reopen before football season begins, which brings in a significant amount of revenue for the restaurant.

"That little bar and tavern kicks out a lot of food for a lot of people," Gorman said. "They want to get it done this summer so they can get back in business."

The primary delay in the restaurant's reopening is waiting for insurance payments from the company representing Osceola-based Warner & Sons, who were in charge of the demolition.

Gorman won't go into specific details about what is causing the delay.

"It's not like the insurance company is doing anything wrong," he said. "They're doing their job. I just want them to do it faster."

Memorial Hospital didn't make any attempt to purchase the property, said Gorman.

And the owners didn't consider moving the restaurant to another location. "Everybody knows where it is right now," Gorman said.

Most of the Notre Dame-related memorabilia plastered around the restaurant's walls survived the accident and will be back up by the time CJ's reopens, Gorman said.

The owners have tried to recoup some of the money lost during the restaurant's closure by selling CJ's-seasoned uncooked burger patties at Martin's.

But for a family that relies on the restaurant as its primary source of income, that isn't enough.

"(The owners) have no money coming in," Gorman said. "They are kind of hurting, and I'm trying to move this along as fast as I can."

Staff writer Andrew Soukup:

asoukup@sbtinfo.com

(574) 235-6467

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Still want a CJ's burger?
Although CJ's has been closed for 3 1/2 months, customers can still sink their teeth into one of the restaurant's famous burgers.

For the last three years, a handful of area Martin's stores have sold frozen burgers and a few other CJ's-related items.

But since the accident, some Martin's also have been selling fresh, uncooked burger patties from the meat cases.

 

[sblxdoc]

CJ's to reopen by Mich. St. game:

http://www.wndu.com/news/082005/news_44132.php

 

[irishnd31]

Let's all take a knee tonight before we lay our weary heads to rest and say a prayer to our fallen comrade... CJ's. May your recovery be speedy, may your doors open soon, and may your beer be as cold and tasty as always!!!!