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True Story of the Bird Girl

It’s typical for the Cliff Dwellers clubhouse to be occupied by a member-sponsored private party on a Saturday evening, especially during the bleak winter months. And so it was on January 28, 2001. What made this one special was not the event itself, but the aftermath. Whether too many of the used table cleaning cloths wound up in the same refuse container, or whether some other combustible agent got accidentally mixed with them, or yet another circumstance—what is known is that a fire started during the early morning hours on Sunday, the 29^th, when no one was present.

Technically, the fire itself was limited to the kitchen and connecting walls. Equipment either was rendered useless or was in a state requiring cleaning or repair. Unfortunately for the club, though, the greater disaster existed in areas beyond the kitchen. Smoke creates soot and on walls, the ceilings, and furnishings there was evidence of a fire by both a blackish film and a smoky odor.

What followed throughout the winter and spring months might well have been scripted from a Dickens novel or a dark comedy. Three insurance groups became involved in negotiating the cost of restoration and loss of business, and the consequent assignment of expenses. Decision-making came very slowly and, customarily, only after much prodding by an ad hoc legal committee created by the club.

Throughout the summer and early fall, work went remarkably smoothly and adhered closely to a firm schedule. It even was possible to include some modifications that enhanced club operations and appearance—such as creating a more convenient entrance to the supply room adjacent to the kitchen and improving airflow through new ductwork

A gala re-opening party took place on Friday, November 2, 2001.

From a report by Richard L. Eastline, CD ‘73