KETCHIKAN — A Ketchikan cafe that’s been around for about 80 years has been torn down to make way for retail and living space.
The Ketchikan Daily News reports that James “Jimmy” Tanino and his wife, Hide, both from Japan, opened Jim’s Cafe in the 1930s. The building was once a popular hangout for mill workers, cannery hands, fisherman and patrons of nearby brothels.
The building was brought down by work crews over the past week.
George Tanino ordered the demolition, saying he couldn’t do much to save the dilapidated building that housed his family’s business for decades.
The 78-year-old Tanino says he plans to replace the structure with a new two-story building featuring space for shops and living quarters. He says it’ll complement the Stedman-Thomas Historic District.
