New Business Planned for Former William Tell Hardware in Hopewell

Ten years ago this week, the William Tell Hardware Store on Route 82 in Hopewell Junction, NY was destroyed in a massive fire. Now, a new business is hoping to rebuild on the abandoned property.

It was just after 11pm on a Saturday night in 2015 when the call came in to the East Fishkill fire department announcing that the William Tel Hardware Store was on fire. By the time first responders arrived on the scene, flammable products inside the building had already ignited, making it difficult to fight the flames.

Crews from several surrounding fire departments worked through the night, eventually having to raze the entire building before declaring the fire extinguished. After over three decades in business, the family-run business's future was uncertain.

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William Tell Hardware Rises Again in Hopewell Junction, New York

Vowing to rebuild, William Tell Hardware eventually opened up a new location next to the Acme, just a few hundred feet away from its former home. After two years without a local hardware store, residents in East Fishkill were happy to welcome back the independently operated True Value store.

Since then, the store's former location has sat vacant. With the building long gone, the empty lot has been an eyesore. But now it appears that a new business is ready to build on the land.

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New Business Plans to Build on Former Hardware Store Lot in East Fishkill

In 2022 a plan was put forth to erect an Auto Zone at the former William Tell location. That project was eventually abandoned, and now a new business is planning to take over the lot.

During a meeting of the Town of East Fishkill Planning Board on Tuesday, approval was submitted to build a bank on the empty parcel of land. According to the filing, the bank would also include a two-lane drive-thru.

It's unclear how much support the project has, but it would be nice to see something built on the land, which is now just a lot with weeds growing through the broken blacktop.

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