Since Sam Bond’s Garage in Eugene closed in late 2025, its windows have been covered with butcher paper and the community gathering spot has sat empty. Whiteaker neighborhood residents sorely felt the loss of the bar, which was a beloved live music venue for 30 years.

It was the kind of place where everyone was welcome, as long as they paid the cover and were nice to Buddy the Cat.

Behind the butcher paper, new owners Grace Schubert and Ian Hill are deep into a renovation. The mention of a remodel might raise some folks’ blood pressure, but Schubert and Hill say assuredly that they’re not turning Eugene’s darling dive into a new student housing complex.

They want to maintain the energy of the community’s favorite bar and ensure that it can remain a staple for generations to come.

Schubert and Hill want to keep the overall vibe of Sam Bond’s Garage the same, but they are engaged in upgrades. There will be a new kitchen setup and menu inspired by their family in Kentucky. Think bourbon, bluegrass music and barbecue.

The couple also is changing the physical space. They have reinsulated the walls to make sure the old building is free of pests. Now they’re refinishing the concrete floors. Next, they plan to build out the stage and lay new concrete in front of it.

Schubert and Hill are keeping the raised wood build-out at the front of the bar and adding to that vibe with new tables and a live-edge wood bar built out of the tree that was struck by lightning at the Lane County Fairgrounds. They’re even toying around with the idea of installing a fireplace.

Because Sam Bond’s Garage is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, there are limitations to what Schubert and Hill can do to the building. The ceiling must be left uncovered, and the hoist that was used to move engines around the building must remain. Fortunately, all guidelines jive with the couple’s plans for the refurbishment.

“You can feel the building; it feels happier now,” Hill said. “We’re happy to keep the bones, but bring new life into the space.”

Hill and Schubert knew they wanted to work with the building’s bones to create a community space that will be sustainable for generations to come. They took ownership at the end of December 2025 and began working on the space in January.

But owning a bar is different than seeing it when the lights are out. The couple hoped the bar would be open by now, but the historic building needed a lot of work.

“It’s a 100-plus-year-old building, and it needed some love poured into it,” Schubert said. “And when you start with renovations, you think better to do it all now than to have to come back later.”

Schubert and Hill plan to continue a lot of what the community came to love at Sam Bond’s Garage: artist showcases, live music, and weeknight events.

“The neighborhood has been so welcoming, and people are excited to see what we’re going to do,” Hill said. “And there’s some nervousness that we don’t screw it up, and keep it core to the greatness that it’s been. We’re excited about living up to those expectations.”

An official opening date is still up in the air. Hill regrets putting up “Reopening this Summer” on the board outside. The aim is for September, but it’s a moving target.

Schubert and Hill moved to Eugene from Kentucky to attend the University of Oregon in 1997. After their truck overheated on the way to a Phish concert in California, Hill started researching what he could do differently to fuel it and stumbled onto the idea of biodiesel.

The couple started a business, SeQuential BioFuels, with a few of their friends. Their first station was where Ninkasi Brewing’s headquarters currently stands. The property used to be a parking lot for an oil company’s trucks.

SeQuential started as a small group of people who stopped in for Saturday morning fueling in Whiteaker and then built customer base large enough that they opened their own fueling station near Interstate 5.

Hill and Schubert sold the business in 2025 after 20 years.

“That was kind of painful, because (the store) was part of the community, so once we transitioned out of that, we were looking for somewhere else to put our dollars,” Hill said.

Sam Bond’s Garage was one of the first places Hill and Schubert remember visiting in Eugene. They have fond memories of watching friends perform on stage and seeing up-and-coming bands. Such memories, combined with the good energy of the neighborhood, solidified Schubert and Hill’s decision to take over the bar.

“We know this is such a part of this neighborhood, and of Eugene, and everyone was so sad to see it go,” Schubert said. “It would have been such a loss for the community if it had entirely gone away.”

Hill and Schubert have two sons, one 19 and one 22, and want to provide something for them separate from screens.

“I think many of us feel more and more this urge to reconnect as humans, and be done with the old screen time,” Hill said. “Sam Bond’s was on the market for a while, and we have a connection to it, and coming to see music here, so we decided to do it.”

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in The Register-Guard and then was distributed on the USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.

The post Eugene bar Sam Bond’s Garage to reopen after renovation appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

ASTORIA, Ore. (AP) — The owners of a historic house have sued the city of Astoria to force the approval of window replacements over the objections of the Lower Columbia Preservation Society.

Thomas and Priscilla Levy retired, bought the house in August and moved to the small city on the Columbia River and near the Pacific Ocean from Portland, The Astorian reported.

The couple applied in September to replace 19 white pine window frames with Fibrex, a composite of reclaimed wood fiber and thermoplastic polymer. Thomas Levy argued the old windows were beyond repair, with black mold and deterioration.

“You can’t get clear white pine anymore, and if you could get clear white pine, it would be ridiculously expensive,” he said.

State law requires cities to decide within 120 days. City staff initially recommended denial, calling on the Levys to repair the windows or use historically accurate materials.

The Historic Landmarks Commission approved the window materials in December, finding the old windows beyond repair and Fibrex a suitable replacement.

However, the preservation society, a nonprofit promoting historical architecture, appealed the approval to the City Council. Doug Thompson, the chairman of the preservation society board, said they believe the Historic Landmarks Commission erred in not following a city ordinance that prioritizes repair of the windows first.

“People move to Astoria from other areas, and they buy historic homes, and they do so because they want to live in and own a historic home,” said Thompson. “Astoria doesn’t look the way it does by accident.”

The city scheduled an appeals hearing for Jan. 19, one business day beyond the 120-day deadline. Missing the deadline allowed the Levys to ask the Circuit Court to compel the city to finalize the Historic Landmarks Commission’s approval of replacing the windows, and to pay their attorney fees.

City Manager Brett Estes said there has been no decision yet on what to do.

“The appellants in this case, the Lower Columbia Preservation Society, will have the opportunity to come in and participate and defend the suit if they want,” he said. “That’s kind of where it sits.”

Priscilla Levy said there should be disclosures by real estate companies about the ramifications of buying a historic home and financial support for people being forced to make historically accurate repairs.

Thompson argued that such resources exist, such as special assessments to freeze the value of historic properties while they undergo repairs.

“There are resources available locally, but it does require an effort on the part of the homeowner to kind of sweat the details,” Thompson said.

The post Homeowners sue city of Astoria over historic repairs appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

When the historic United Workmen Temple was demolished last fall, many in Portland were upset by the loss of the 1892 vintage building.

Formerly located at the corner of Southwest 2^nd and Taylor, it is one of two historic unreinforced masonry structures torn down to make way for the ambitious Third and Taylor project, which will see a 20-story hotel and 10-story office tower emerge from the rubble.

The second to fall is the old Lotus Hotel building, home to one of Portland’s most famous nightspots, the Lotus Cardroom and Café, from 1924 until its closure two years ago. The 1906 structure currently is being demolished as general contractor Turner Construction ramps up work on the two new high-rise projects planned for the site.

Check out a photo gallery below of the demolition during its early stages, and don’t forget to check back in a few days for the full story.

The post Photos: Historic Lotus Hotel building comes down appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.