Former Pickwick Pub Building in Poughkeepsie Demolished

The vacant building that once housed the popular Pickwick Pub in Poughkeepsie was demolished this week.

I remember driving down Main Street in Poughkeepsie last week and looking up at the old Pickwick Pub building. I said to myself, "when is someone going to do something with the place", as it's been vacant now for years. The Pickwick closed its doors in April of 2016, and since then there had been rumors floating around as to what would become of the spot.

Earlier this week while driving down Main Street, I was shocked to see a pile of rubble at the former spot of the popular watering hole. I had to get out of my car and take a look.

It was sad to see the giant pile of rubble that used to be a place where I shared a lot of fun memories over the years with friends. I felt the need to get a closer look at the site.

While walking around and with closer observation of the debris field, I could see the Pickwick Pub sign sitting on the pile. How sad.

I remember many fun nights at the Pickwick Pub, including working some DJ gigs over the years. I did many rock/heavy metal nights there, and also would check out some great live bands regularly at the pub. The staff there was always great. My friend Jackie Bracco was a bartender there for many years, and it was always a blast with her and the rest of the crew.

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What is going to happen at the former Pickwick Pub spot?

After seeing that the Pickwick Pub had been leveled, I walked across the street to The Big Tomato, a legendary City of Poughkeepsie eatery that is currently up for sale. After ordering one of my favorite to-go breakfast sandwiches, I asked the woman about the demolition of the Pickwick and she told me it had been done the night before. She also told me they would be rebuilding and turning the spot into apartments.

Although the Pickwick Pub is no more, we still have the memories to hold onto of this true neighborhood bar. The official Pickwick Pub Facebook page is still up after all these years, so you can relive those memories here.