The Plain Dealer, Published June 18, 2003
John S. Long

Some would think that if Andy Himmel didn't have bad luck, he would have no luck at all, to paraphrase the blues standard "Born Under a Bad Sign."

"That's how I felt for a while," said Himmel, who was set to open Boulevard Blue next month.

The space, in the old DiBella's Pizza Bazaar location on Larchmere Boulevard, was to be a contemporary American restaurant and blues-and-jazz club that would feature live acts three nights a week.

Himmel had hired a staff, including a top chef from Cameron Mitchell's premiere Columbus restaurant, M. Construction of the new spot was going well: A large skylight connecting the dining and blues rooms would brighten the rooms.

Then something went terribly wrong. Himmel said it appears that someone removed a support - and moments later, the building collapsed. Fortunately, no one was hurt; a construction worker who was in the "basement" had just walked across the street to get a soft drink, and two others stood outside the front door as the building came down.

Forget about the July opening. Himmel, who is starting over from scratch, says he is now looking for the club to open in November or December.

A little sun is shining through the cloud over Himmel's head. He and the chef are heading to Put-in-Bay, where they will run Dailey's Tavern. It will bring in money and allow Himmel to keep the chef, whom he couldn't afford to carry on the payroll for six months with no income.

The 23-year-old Himmel did not enter the business naive about its pitfalls. His father opened the Boarding House at University Circle 30 years ago. He just didn't expect the restaurant to collapse into a pit that was once its basement.