The investment company that holds the lien on the Dog House Tavern has asked city officials to help find a buyer for the iconic building.
Steve Sullivan, an account executive with Chesterfield Mortgage Investors in Seattle, e-mailed Langley council members this week to ask their help in finding a buyer.
“I know the restaurant has historical significance in the town of Langley. I was curious if you knew of anyone in the community that would be interested in saving it,” Sullivan wrote. “I’d hate to have to sell to developers who might put in condos or something.”
He also said the firm was hoping to sell the property for $500,000, adding “we would be willing to look at any credit-worthy individual who would be willing to assume our note.”
Langley Mayor Paul Samuelson said he has since spoken with three people who had previously expressed interest in the property.
But so far, no sale.
“We have worked with anybody who is interested to let them know that we will do whatever we can to make it work for them,” Samuelson said.
The Langley landmark, a fixture in the city since 1908, has been on the market for years. It’s owned by Wendy Jacobs, and has an assessed value of roughly $720,000.
Community concern over the fate of the popular watering hole rose last year after the property was put up for sale on craigslist, and prompted the push for the formation of Langley’s historic preservation board.
The business has been closed for much of this year, though a sign posted in a front window had promised it would reopen in the summer. It didn’t.
Sullivan could not be reached comment Thursday.
Samuelson, however, said city leaders are hopeful that a buyer will be found and the building can be restored.
“It’s a landmark. We really care a lot about the preservation of that building.
“It’s on the top of our list of things we want to make happen,” he said.
Originally called the Olympic Club when it was built, the three-story building had a gymnasium on the lower floor, with a stage and auditorium on the top floor. It also housed a general store before becoming the Dog House Tavern at the end of Prohibition.
Langley lost a bit of its character when the Dog closed its doors, Samuelson said.
“It’s a bit of a hole in the heart of the culture of this city,” he said.
“I don’t think it’s going to stay closed. I think we’re going to find a way to reopen it and bring it back,” he added.
Such a scenario is not unlikely, the mayor said.
“I’m encouraged that the city does not have the level of vacancies by proportion that the other communities have around us — not just on the island but on the other side,” he said.
“I think we’ve been able to watch a lot of our empty spaces fill up,” Samuelson added. “But this is one that everybody has their eye on. It’s been a community meeting place for years.”
