Aptos Landmark, SeaBreeze Tavern, Demolished: Report

APTOS, CA — Demolition began last week on the historic SeaBreeze Tavern in Aptos, nearly a year after a devastating fire rendered the building unsafe for occupancy, multiple outlets report.

A private contractor began demolition last Tuesday on the bar at 101 Esplande, which had long sat as an eyesore along the coastline, as The Pajaronian reported. Dozens were there to watch.

Santa Cruz Sentinel photographer Shmuel Thaler was on hand to capture the beginning of demolition.

Last summer's fire appeared to have started in a storage pile in an alley behind the building, firefighters previously said. The building quickly deteriorated and the flames had spread to the second floor and roof by the time firefighters arrived.

They battled the blaze for hours, struggling to get control with "excessive amounts of storage" on the second floor.

Once a bar, the tavern lost its liquor license in 2016 following an 11-count complaint filed by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the Santa Cruz Sentinel reported.

The license revocation followed the 2015 arrest of owner Thomas "Rich" McInnis, 52, who lived above the bar and was accused of running an illegal cannabis dispensary in a back room of his business and selling fake state medical marijuana cards, Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Lt. Kelly Kent said at the time. A bed sheet was used to obscure the dispensary.

See more from The Pajaronian and the Santa Cruz Sentinel.