Willy Gilbert’s In Memoriam for Bob Lovejoy caught me by utter surprise because I had not heard the horrible news of his death. As retired CEO of the S.B. Trust for Historic Preservation, I rate Bob as the Number One tenant I had dealings with in my 35-year tenure. Just a great person to work with, a true hero of the Presidio neighborhood.
A little history: when Tommy Chung decided to sell Jimmy’s around 2006, the Santa Barbara Trust made an offer on the building and Tommy took it, even though there were higher ones. The Trust then pieced together various low-interest loans from local foundations, and even then it was a stretch on the Trust’s finances. Next came the Great Recession, and the Trust faced serious financial challenges with its investments in free fall and with a steep mortgage to service. The only option was to hope the state would purchase the property and add it to the Presidio State Park. I arranged a meeting with the director of State Parks in Sacramento, and Tommy came along to pitch the project. Some funds were found, but not enough to purchase the property.
In the meantime, as the Great Recession deepened, the new tenant in the restaurant failed to pay his rent and was given notice. He in turn locked himself in the restaurant and proceeded to do severe damage to the interior including ripping out wires.