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If the Black Cat Pub in Sellwood had nine lives, they’re gone now.

After months of speculation following a Facebook announcement in early April that the business would close, the property owner has confirmed his plans to raze the building and construct apartments in its place.

While the developer is capitalizing on an opportunity in a growing community, residents are reflecting on the loss of a landmark.

“We have people that have gotten married here, people that have met here – my kids were basically born here,” said Deby Ververs, the bar’s manager for the past 22 years. “It’s like ripping a big, old piece out of the heart of Sellwood … But I also know business is business, and (the developer is) going to make a bunch of money.”

Farid Bolouri, a dentist and one of the founders of the Portland Dental Group, plans to build a four-story, 21-unit apartment on the property. It will have 5,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, and six covered parking stalls. The smallest apartment will be approximately 1,050 square feet.

The $5.5 million to $6 million project is set to begin in late August with demolition of the 107-year-old, brick-and-wood building at 8230 S.E. 13th Ave. Most of the structure’s historic significance is nostalgic – a pinup calendar, for instance, shows the Black Cat Pub in operation as far back as 1955.

“I’ve been looking at (Sellwood) for the past 20 years,” Bolouri said. “The beauty of Sellwood is it doesn’t change much. It’s becoming modernized, it’s becoming a bit more renewed … but 20 years from now it’s probably going to be the same as far as the general economic class of people. It’s a good neighborhood. It’s a neighborhood where people come to live, and they want to do their business there, and I think that’s the value of Sellwood.”

Bolouri wants to extend the commercial vibrancy of Sellwood’s antique row across Southeast Tacoma Street. He purchased the 100-square-foot Black Cat property for $775,000 in 2011. Ververs said the property’s previous owner, Susan Morlan, was in a position where she had to sell it. Bolouri couldn’t resist.

“Thirteenth is such a vibrant street and Sellwood is such a good location,” he said. “You drive throughout Sellwood and there is no commercial space for lease. Everything leases up quickly … A good restaurant would be awesome on that side (of Tacoma Street). More residential doesn’t hurt, and what I have in mind is more of an upscale apartment complex.”

Bolouri isn’t alone. Developer Wally Remmers is building a 46-unit apartment building near the corner of Southeast Tacoma Street and 17th Avenue. A few blocks east, Urban Evolution Inc. recently received approval from the Portland Design Commission to build a four-story, 68-unit apartment complex. Both projects were opposed by neighbors, but more development is likely as the Portland-Milwaukie light-rail line is constructed nearby.

John Chilson wrote about the impending closure of the Black Cat Pub on his , which explores the state’s past through photographs and postcards. He said part of Portland’s fabric is quickly disappearing.

“It’s the smaller structures – the single-family homes, those small mom-and-pop shops; they disappear and nobody notices it,” he said. “But they notice it when their neighborhood changes … when it’s too late.”

Chilson isn’t against density. He would rather see neighborhoods grow up instead of out, and concedes that some age-old structures will have to go. Nevertheless, he thinks that will be a challenge in many Portland neighborhoods.

Sandra McLeod, president and principal broker for Commonwealth Real Estate Companies Inc., represented Bolouri in his purchase of the property. She thinks the Black Cat Pub’s departure will actually give the neighborhood room to grow.

“Someone can bring in the shuffleboards and that ambience but update it into that new facility,” she said. “It will bring back that walking, living component, which is what has done so well around Portland.”

There is a chance that the Black Cat Pub could reopen in Milwaukie, but Ververs said that isn’t likely. She’s throwing a last hurrah on Aug. 11 with a barbecue and live music. That’ll likely be followed by an auction, in which the bar’s centerpiece – three, long shuffleboards – will go to the highest bidder.

Ververs, who resides with her three children in the apartment above the bar, said Bolouri has extended her lease several times while she looks for a new place to live. She is closing on a house now, and views the situation as an opportunity: She is planning to go back to school to study real estate.

“He wanted to make sure it was easy for us,” Ververs said. “I have nothing bad to say about the guy. He’s going to make a lot of money … Sellwood is booming.”