A Chattanooga man said Monday that a longtime North Shore restaurant building that's been vacant for years is an eyesore and he has garnered 180 names on a petition who agree.
The property owner, meanwhile, put the former Northside Lunch building at 202 Frazier Ave. on the market last week, saying plans to place a new eatery in the structure fell through.
The 92-year-old building that was a North Shore anchor for years sits adjacent to the entrance to the popular Walnut Street Bridge. Part of the building's large sign is falling apart and its dingy gray siding has been hit by graffiti and posters.
Dennis Murphy, who lives in North Chattanooga, said the building could be razed under urban blight city code provisions.
"My preference is to tear it down or put in something nice," he said.
At the same time, Murphy said, the city ought to replace the steps next to the building which lead to the bridge with a more pedestrian- and bike-friendly ramp.
"Trying to get down the steps are a real pain," he said. "It would kill two birds with one stone."
Kevin Boehm, managing partner of the real estate group that owns the building, said the asking price is $750,000 for the structure and the quarter-acre tract.
According to the Hamilton County Assessor of Property, the building was bought in September 2015 for $485,000.
Boehm agreed the building is "not in very good condition." Some people want to save the structure while others want to remove it, he said. But, Boehm said, the ownership group probably won't do much to improve it before a sale.
"You don't know what a potential buyer has in mind," he said. "You could end up wasting money."
Boehm said the Northside Lunch was "a staple" in the North Shore, and there has been a lot of interest on the site since going on the market.
"It has got great bones. It has tremendous potential," he said. "It has a number of different uses including a diner."
Murphy said a complaint about the building he brought last November to the city's code enforcement office and Mayor Andy Berke went unanswered.
"As a prime piece of North Chattanooga real estate, it deserves so much better use," he wrote in a recent letter.
Murphy said the city is spending about $2.5 million to renovate the Walnut Street Bridge.
"Doesn't it make sense to get rid of this eyesore, which is the first building visitors see as they turn right from the bridge?" he asked.
The Northside Lunch location sits just north of another building adjacent to the bridge where a developer had earlier planned to put a hotel next to Coolidge Park.
However, after the hotel plan drew a storm of protests, developer Bill Young swapped that site with the city for another tract at Manufacturers Road and Cherokee Boulevard. Young later sold that lot, where Vision Hospitality Group is building new apartments.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318.