b'P o r tA r a n s a sRESCUED FROM THEJAWS OF PROGRESS:SHORTYS PLACE MOVED TO BEACH ST. IN PORT AThe wheels of progress continue to turn in Port Aransas, as they do in countless small Texas towns that have been embraced by wealthy city dwellers seeking an escape. Modern condos overtook beach cabins on the island decades ago, and have since been overtaken by three-story, ultra-luxury beach houses that sell for over $1 million. Commercial property in the village center and on the marina has been replaced with larger, energy-efficient, hurricane-proof structures that will house more, thus generating more rent for investors.That was the potential fate in store for Shortys Place a year ago, when the land lease on the property where it had stood for generations was about to expire, and strictly short-term options to stay were being offeredall while structures along Port As marine district were being demolished, one-by-one, to make room for something bigger, luxurious, and more profitable. Progress is good for any small town, but it often comes at the cost of one chunk of history after another, until its all gone.Edwin Myers took over Shortys Place, the Islands Oldest and Friendliest bar, in 2012 from the family of its 1946 founders, Mack Daniel and Gladys Shorty Fowler, who was murdered in a robbery of the bar, in 1978. Shortys has been a favorite of locals, tourists, and Spring Breakers for generations, famously and stubbornly un-airconditioned and serving as a beloved venue for many of the most popular live music acts in South Texas.Myers has operated Kodys for years on the Highway 361 southern stretch of town, as one of Port As most popular restaurant/bars, but his second restaurant, Giggitys, was closed when its location was demolished by new owners, several years ago. De-termined to save his prospering business while preserving one of the last remaining pieces of Port A history, Myers decided that moving the Shortys structure was the best solutionthe question was where.As though the stars had aligned in Myers quest to save his slice of nostalgia, he suc-ceeded in signing a 20-year lease with the owner of the former Castaways Restaurant lot on the corner of Beach and North Alister Streetseasily the most prominent lo-cation in Port As historic, old town village. With room to fill on the three-lot property, Myers offered to take the Board House and Connoisseur buildings off the hands of the Clarks, who were replacing them with a new structure, just north up Alister. In the six months since the first section of Shortys was moved from the marina to its newTop: Shortys Place owner and Port A restaurateur, Edwin Myers. Above: Shortys home, the two additional buildings have adjoined, and all three are now connected,slow-speed move on January 29, 2023 (Steve Coons photo). Left to Right: Board House with plans to open a restaurant, kitchenor somethingin the expanded space. building being moved, Shortys reconstruction on its new Beach & Alister Street site.128THE COASTAL BEND GUIDE TheCoastalBend.com'