The closed Buffalo Inn in Upland, California, a fixture under various names on Route 66 for more than 80 years, soon will be auctioned by the county because of unpaid taxes.
Columnist David Allen of the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin reported that bidding for the property at 1812-1816 W. Foothill Blvd. (aka Route 66) will begin Monday at $500,000. Bidding closes on Aug. 7; those interested in buying the property should go here.
The newspaper reported:
The Buffalo Inn closed in 2015 after bankruptcy and what the county says is $350,000 in delinquent property taxes following an expensive workplace lawsuit. Open under various names going back to 1929, the Buffalo Inn as most of us knew it opened in 1977 and was beloved for its tree-shaded patio, beer garden atmosphere, buffalo-meat hamburgers and housemade potato chips.
If a successful bidder emerges, the county will keep its own costs and satisfy the taxes owed. Any proceeds in excess of that will be held for a year. Creditors come first and only then will the former owners get whatever is left, an office spokeswoman told me.
Allen said a number of scenarios are possible for the Buffalo Inn. It could be reopened mostly as is. Someone could redevelop it into something else entirely. The new property owner could resell it at a later date.
Amid all the mismanagement that included a workplace accident and a sexual-harassment lawsuit before its closing, the Buffalo Inn’s owners also neglected to send in a landmark-status request that would have protected the historic restaurant from redevelopment. So any sort of redevelopment — including flattening it with a bulldozer — is on the table.
(Image of the Buffalo Inn sign via Yelp)
Is this an indication of what can happen to a financially viable business when hit unfairly by the costs of modern day law suits, or entirely justifiable claims by those making them? I do not know, but if the county is genuinely interested in retaining the value of the property – and it should be – could it not itself give it landmark status now? In that way, would its value not be increased? Unless a property developer has only demolition in mind.