Available — That’s what it says on the hand-written sign in the front window of the old Press Box restaurant on Niagara Street.
Remember the Press Box?
Dollar bills tacked to the walls.
Going into the kitchen to place your own orders.
The artery busting mix of ground beef and cheese and bacon known as the Pittsburger.
It wasn’t a place for everybody, but those who went there often appreciated its charms.
It’s been years now since the state Department of Taxation and Finance forced its closure.
Back in 2004, the state agency swept in to take out former owner Florence Acotto for failing to pay the state money she owed.
I had the misfortune of being assigned to cover the state-run auction of the building’s contents.
High bidder after high bidder walked away with beer signs and kitchen items and other treasures.
It was like going to an estate sale at a friend’s home and watching strangers pick over the stuff that once made your buddy’s house a home.
There goes the jukebox. Now the stove. And the chairs. And the tables.
I interviewed a state tax department spokesperson at the time who assured me it was all for the best.
He reasoned that with a new casino in town and all the development it promised, the building would be an attractive spot for investors.
Going on six years later, it’s looking more likely than ever before that his prediction might actually have a shot at coming to pass.
For those who don’t know, the building finally found a new owner late last year when Wheatfield businessman Sean Wilczak purchased it at a city in-rem auction for $36,000.
Wilczak, who owns Patrick’s Landscaping, is the guy who put the “available” sign in the window.
He told the Gazette that he has no immediate plans for the old restaurant, but says he’s open to ideas and will entertain offers from potential tenants.
I wish him well.
The Press Box building has a long and rich history. Acotto, Mary Meyo and John Meyo opened it as the Press Box Restaurant in the late 1950s.
For decades, it was a popular hangout for locals and border-crossing Canadians alike.
It deserved better than an impersonal tax auction.
It’s a shame that it became just another “used-to-be” place in Niagara Falls.
I know, the state tax guys were only doing their jobs.
I understand people have to pay their taxes.
Who knows how long the restaurant would have lasted without the state’s intervention.
I'm sure the spokesperson truly believed his agency wasn’t stripping the community of a bit of its character, but rather clearing a path for someone else to do something more productive with the property.
Still, whenever I pass the building these days I can’t help but be struck by the reality of the situation.
In the end, a lot of time and energy was expended to shut the place down and strip it of all of its valuables.
And the city got something it has an overabundance of already — a vacant building with an available sign in the front window.
