A few years ago, a fire took the old Arcadia Theatre on lower Greenville. And this morning, just up the avenue, a four-alarm fire apparently started in Terilli’s and took out the whole 2800 block of restaurants. These were some of the last, remaining 1930’s storefronts in the area. Terilli’s, the great old Greenville Avenue Bar and Grill, Mick’s and Hurricane Grill are all complete losses. I woke up to four helicopters, fire trucks, billowing smoke — and my neighbor Henley taking this picture.

UPDATE: One thing that might be salvaged from this disaster is the decorative brick facade on Hurricane and Terilli’s — just about the last of their kind in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, the buildings had no historic designation so there’s no legal impetus for the owner (a limited liability corporation) to preserve them. But Unfair Park reports that the fire-rescue teams did try to save the facades and that council member Angela Hunt has been making calls to see what can be done.

And more shots from Henley Quadling below the fold — very dramatic, very sad images.