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Owner to demolish former restaurant Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell The building that once alternately housed Sambo's, Mick's Ale House, Apple Annie's and many other tenants on South Riverside Avenue north of Barnett Road is coming down. Mark Kemmerer, left, of Eagle Point is working at the site, helping to remove insulation containing asbestos. Building has served many purposes, but it�s soon to be a parking lot or a garden By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune When it was built, a historical landmark was razed to make way. Now a Medford building where civic leaders gathered, political figures dined and a generation or two of kids ate pancakes is disappearing from its roost along South Riverside Avenue north of Barnett Road. But nothing more than asphalt or a small garden will replace the old Sambo�s Pancake House next to the Best Inn & Suites. The last demolition project on the site was back in 1960 when the two-story Earhart Family farmhouse, built in 1853, was taken down to make room for a 50-unit Thunderbird Lodge and Sambo�s. Today, there�s little evidence of the farm that once dominated the location, and a month or so from now there won�t be much to remind passers-by of the erstwhile restaurants and lounges. Meyer Crest Inc., operator of Meyer Hotels, bought the property in the 1980s. The motel is now called Best Inn & Suites "By time you spend the money building up to specifications, the cost is more than if you were to start from scratch," Best Inn manager Ed Martell said Tuesday. The demolition began several weeks ago, but was delayed until asbestos could be removed by Alpha Environmental. "Basically we wanted to improve the corner and improve the motel�s visibility," said Meyer Crest operations manager Rod Colvin. "I don�t believe there was sufficient parking to handle a restaurant and hotel at that location." The Mail Tribune reported in November 1960 that the city building department issued a permit for the construction of a $212,000 motel complex, including a restaurant and swimming pool. The Drew-Gibbs motel chain of Oakland, Calif., was the original owner. The motel has since grown to 113 units, and Sambos faded into history followed by a succession of establishments � most notably Mick�s Ale House and Apple Annie�s. In May of 1968, presidential candidate Richard Nixon made a national television appearance from the Thunderbird Lodge during a campaign stop in Jackson County. A week later, actress Jill St. John, campaigning on Democratic contender Sen. Eugene McCarthy�s behalf, appeared at a cocktail party in the Bonanza Room of Sambo�s Restaurant. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2002 Mail Tribune, Inc.