I really ought to know better but I can't help myself sometimes.
Former client calls and says she has another job for us.?ÿ She gives me the address and my immediate question is, "The former honkytonk or the other building near by?"?ÿ She didn't miss a beat and said, "The other building."?ÿ Whew!!!?ÿ Some people might not appreciate having their recently purchased valuable real estate compared to a former honkytonk where people have been shot for simply standing around in the parking lot.
Now, I'm not an expert on honkytonks, you see, but, that building next door to hers has been mentioned far too many times in the local news over the years.?ÿ Fortunately, it has been closed and sold.?ÿ It is being converted into an inexpensive furniture emporium.?ÿ The one the client recently purchased has been numerous things, as well, but is currently no more than a large storage shed.?ÿ That's good because if there is ever a train derailment there won't be anything left.
The primary purpose of her survey is to find out where a 20-foot wide strip is located between her building and the former honkytonk that is actually an outlet from the large tract behind these two buildings.?ÿ The large tract actually fronts onto the next street to the south.?ÿ Today there is no need for the "back way out".?ÿ The GIS Dept. has labeled it North 21st Street, which it is not.?ÿ It is private property but people have driven through there for years as if it was a street.?ÿ This happens most frequently when the railroad crossing is blocked and people (including me one time) want to take a quick detour to a certain crossing that is only two blocks away.?ÿ I believe all three owners want this traffic to stop, so I have a feeling something will happen to end that problem once they know who owns what.
While I was out working onetime my wife answered the phone from someone who wanted a survey.
She dutifully took down the lady's name, phone number and address.
She realized the address as a street around a beautiful little park in the center of the city.
She asked, "Oh, is that the cute little blue house across from the park?"
The lady hung up.?ÿ Must have been the neighbor of the cute little blue house.
Cute Story, Dave
Sounds familiar. I think I've been to this "honkytonk" a few times.
My favorite 'recent' survey involved a portion of what we call "Campus Corner" here in Norman.?ÿ It's a tired and tiny commercial area just adjacent to the University Campus.?ÿ It's been the location of countless bars and diners since the early 1900s.?ÿ The real estate value far exceeds the quality of the neighborhood.
This one block in particular where I was working was a hodge-podge of 19th. century masonry and rubblestone construction.?ÿ In about a 300' x 150' area was housed three restaurants, four bars, an office, a gift shop and an old locksmith shop.?ÿ Two of the bars, one restaurant and the locksmith shared restroom facilities.?ÿ The restrooms were tucked back in a winding hallway where one cold literally get lost.?ÿ You could enter from the street at one place and exit at least three other places on two different streets.?ÿ The building and zoning folks at the city did everything they could to keep this place open.?ÿ The old tattered building wasn't sound enough to support modern fire suppression so the sprinkler was supported by steel members all along the walls.?ÿ The tenants and owners spent wads of cash to keep these places open.
And all the property descriptions had been written and rewritten over the years to allow for access to the bathrooms and the exits.?ÿ This was a nightmare of deeds, easements and cross-access agreements.?ÿ But it only took someone with a carpenter's tape to figure out things were all mucked up.?ÿ
A portion of this block was to be razed and a four story building built.?ÿ A bunch of attorneys and a couple of title companies were wigged out by the mess.?ÿ I was hired to survey all the interior walls and plot all the easements and deeds.?ÿ Working indoors with a reflectorless TS was a blast.?ÿ
One of the iconic establishments was a place called "Joe's Taverna".?ÿ And it was run by a fella named Joe.?ÿ Joe was about my age and he wasn't sorry about losing his lease.?ÿ It was time to 'put the old girl down' he said.?ÿ I decided Joe's would be where my main control and base of operation was to be located.?ÿ I shot in several control points through open doors and then 'retired' to the interior to work.
Joe opened at noon and rarely had any business until middle of the afternoon.?ÿ I sat in swampy AC, quaffed cold (and free) beer.?ÿ Joe and I chatted the years away.?ÿ It was grand.
After I plotted it all up it became evident where the errors had been initiated.?ÿ First there was a rubblestone wall that was in some places 3' thick.?ÿ Most of the homemade descriptions had assumed it was far less than that.?ÿ And someone had screwed up severely by leaving out a 7' wide hallway.?ÿ I guessed they had measured to one wall, gone around to the restaurant and picked back up on the wrong wall.?ÿ This 'missed' hallway was only accessible through Joe's.?ÿ And all the descriptions written after that one just copied the error.
It all could have been avoided if they had only dropped in for a cold brew at Joe's when they were measuring. 😉 ?ÿ
