Last night at the show someone told me that the Trap, Sacramento's oldest bar, is in danger of closing. I found this article by Lisa Heyamoto from a few months back in the Bee:
It doesn't take an architect to see that time has not been particularly kind to the Trap. With its horizontally challenged floors, its dilapidated deportment and a roof that isn't exactly holding up its end of the bargain – let alone the walls – the legendary Pocket watering hole is a bit like an ungracefully aging debutante who was never that cute to begin with.
But to shut it down for its aesthetic indiscretions? Owner Richard Crudo thought he'd never see the day.
"We knew it needed work," he said. "It's been here since 1860, you know?"
To be fair, the problems run a bit deeper than what meets the eye. Turns out the Trap – brace yourselves, now – isn't up to safety code, and the city's housing and dangerous building division recently slapped it with 14 code violations ranging from improper plumbing valves to unpermitted add-ons.
This is a cause of significant worry for Crudo, who fears the much-beloved bar might end up closing down.
But shutting the Trap is not what the city is after, say both Ron O'Connor, operations manager of code enforcement, and Councilman Rob Fong.
"We want to make sure it's safe for the customers, but at the same time, we're not interested in putting anyone out of business," Fong said. "It's certainly a Sacramento institution."
Yet Crudo said that even the smallest repairs would cost more money than they have, especially considering what they just paid to upgrade the bathrooms. So he's turned his mind to fundraisers or – fingers crossed – benevolent millionaires to somehow keep the bar from closing.
"If we have to fight to keep it going, we will," he said. "I'm not giving up yet."
Forget about the whales. Someone save the Trap.
I'm going to make sure to drive by and take a picture before it gets knocked down.
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