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Mo's Seafood & Chowder
24,816
Mo's Restaurants is 75-year-old family-owned restaurant and specializes in Seafood and Clam Chowder.
1886 Building update:
Precarious building on Newport’s historic bayfront awaits demolition
www.oregonlive.com
The owners of Mo’s Original Seafood and Chowder looked forward to remodeling the building next door but found it could not be saved after years of water damage.
Update on 1886 Building: Asbestos mitigation work continues and has shed light on many unanswered questions. 29 different products in the building are hot with asbestos. As you can see in the picture of the exterior bottom of the walls, which are connected directly to the concrete slab, are almost fully rotted out and the rot continues up each stud as they've been saturated with drain water for the last few decades. This phenomenon is consistent on both the long sides of the building, to the East and to the West. Picture of the tiles shows the West side of the building; tiles are loaded with asbestos and studs are rotted. This is the initial building wound that the City of Newport noticed that created an investigation into the overall integrity of the building. In the picture of the floor joist you can see insulation is nonexistent, but loaded with sawdust and wood particles creating a tinder box for potential fires. The floor joist is covered in black mold on the ends where they connect to the rotted wall studs. The picture of the rear of the building, which was added in the 1990s, has been connected to Mo's to stabilize the structure (this is a fact we just learned). All available data suggests this connection between the Mo's building and the 1886 building is the primary support to holding the current 1886 building from falling down due to gravity. Many unpermitted remodels have taken place on the interior and exterior, therefore, very little of the building is original to its 1886 year. This all adds up to further evidence that taking the building down is the right move for the safety of our community. We will continue to keep the community updated on the progress.
Public Service Announcement on the 1886 building next to Original Mo’s in Newport. Mo’s has purchased this building and the adjacent building to the East. Lots of very inaccurate information out there, so let's see if I can answer some concerns. Let me first say, no family has been on this bayfront continually as long as the Mo's family and Bayfront history is extremely important to us. Nobody is more discouraged than we are about needing to take down this historic building. Our own building is over 100 years old, but the difference between the two is tender loving care. If buildings are not maintained they sadly fall apart. Mo and Cindy were great friends with the St. Romaines, who put the building on the historic register, and the subsequent owners, the Weltons. Unfortunately, neither family, understandably due to considerable costs, was able to give the building the maintenance it required. We purchased the building with the hopes of restoring it to its former glory. After structural engineers did a study on the building it was determined that restoring the building would be a significant challenge at a great financial cost. The issues with the building are vast, but the most concerning is that it has no foundation. The wall studs have been soaking in water for decades causing rot to the point of almost a total disintegration of the first-floor support structure (see video). The walls and existing support beams above on the first and second floors are rotted as well which prohibits us from lifting the building to put a foundation under the building. When we purchased the property it was in the process of being condemned by the City of Newport and the fire department has issued a report that it will not enter the building if it catches fire which endangers the entire bayfront. The building is loaded with products, made with asbestos which is an environmental health risk. If you are one that says the building can be saved, you should know that it cannot and no amount of outrage can change an engineer's calculations. However, I have some good news for you, our plan is to eventually build a new building that is safe and meets current building codes with an identical facade to the 1886 building, but that could take a couple years to accomplish. Between now and then our plan is to create a beautiful green space that is a dog-friendly patio/park for our guests to enjoy eating outside. The "Up Our Alley/Republic of Candy" building was required to be demolished by the City of Newport. This structure was never permitted by the City of Newport and borrowed power, water, and cable service from the Bay Haven Tavern. The city was in the process of condemning that building as well when we stepped in to buy the property. If you have any serious questions please ask.
Crab Season is finally here once again! 🦀 Fresh Dungeness Crab from fishing vessel to kitchen to table every day!
