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Thread: My grandfathers house/bar is for sale again

  1. #1
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    My grandfathers house/bar is for sale again

    My grandfathers house/bar is for sale again

    I grew up listening to the old timers that went to this bar when my great uncle ran the place.



    They remodeled quite a bit. The bar stools used to be round. The walls were dark. There were multiple color neon tubes
    along the ceiling behind that lip just behind the flags. They were red, green and white. You could make the ceiling what ever color
    neon light you had turned on.

    The bar had 1/2" X 4" glass mirror strips where the black trim is. He also had a collection of plastic/ceramic small horses on top of the shelve above back bar mirrors.



  2. #2
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    I see the booths/tables my uncle made have all been removed. They were black with red bench seats that wrapped around the tables. The back were high enough that you were blocked from the booth next to you.

    They went long the entire left wall, the back wall with a large wrap around booth to the back right. That was basically the "family" booth where they would eat dinner. The white door you see wasn't there. That door was originally there 80 years ago when it was ran as a full restaurant/tavern. My great grandmother eventually had an apartment in the back and that door was removed. There was never a pool table and the floor was dark from the front to the back.




    The woman's bathroom is on the right and the side exit is the right.

  3. #3
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    In the back right corner was the "family" booth. I think it sat either 8 or 10 people. My uncle/aunt did their paper work and ate dinner there. I don't think they would have been happy with the black and white checkered floor.



  4. #4
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    The ceiling fans were added afterwards. The original wooden pay phone booth is still in the corner. There were booths that matched the back booths along the right wall. The original jute box was where the current one is. You can see where the neon was just behind the street signs.



  5. #5
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    It looks like they converted my great grandmother's apartment into a kitchen. My grandfather lived in that apartment as he got older. He used to live in the upper front apartment and couldn't do the stairs any longer.





  6. #6
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    Oh the garage was torn down and replaced with this



    My grand mother would cook all summer in that garage. It was a two car garage that held my grandfathers snap on tools and his 1960 Pontiac Boneville.

    I think this is the same color.



    My Uncle owned the small building/lot behind the garage. he had his veggie garden there.

  7. #7
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    The was a small flower garden along that wooden fence. Originally it was a chain link fence. The shed wasn't there. What was there was a natural gas cooking grill set into the concrete. The door was the entrance to my great gandmother's then later on my grand father's apartment.





    You can see where they added the smoke stack to the side of the building. That was never there. That back side door goes up to the apartment we lived in while taking
    care of my grand father. The white building was Camillo's grocery store. The building on the other side was a jewelry store.



  8. #8
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    MY GRANDMOTHER would be flipping out right now.

    The floor was basically white and I can't remember what color tiles were on the back splash but I know there were that dark color. Those are the original cabinets.




    There was a small counter where the garbage pail is sitting. I'm pretty sure I ran into it when I was a kid and had to get stitches on my chin.


  9. #9
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    I see the original door bell still on the left wall. What is missing is my grand mother's gold sectional couch that had custom plastic covers. If you slept over you would stick to the plastic.




    I'm pretty sure this was it or at least the chime was.


  10. #10
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    The bathroom is just about original. I see they put a new sink in but the tub, tile and medicine cabinet are still there. The tub was cool. The entire tub was more squarish.


  11. #11
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    I see they replaced the original furnace that was located in the attic. You can see the original gas stove that my grand mother used at various times.


  12. #12
    Member gorja's Avatar
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    Nice memories

    Georgia L Schlager

  13. #13
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    Remember this photo?



    Here is what it was like in 1948 and basically how I remembered it




    You can see the original booth's that my Uncle made in the back. There was neon lighting between the wall and the back of the booths the entire length of the wall. It was pretty cool. The original floor was black and red.





    I remember my uncle slow roasting roast beef for sandwiches in the basement. You can see the stainless steel food warmer just under the vintage toaster and coffee pot.

    Here are the second set of owners.

    Joe/Elma Romano and Ernest/Jenny Fracasso. The bar was given to them by my grand fathers parents.


  14. #14
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    My uncle and grand parents wouldn't be happy about this:

    Go watch the video

    The store front to the right was a grocery store years ago and the building on the left was a jewelry shop. My grandmother bought me my first digital watch from that place. This type of stuff far as I know didn't happen in the bar when they owned it.


    Buffalo police shut down bar after overnight shooting



    BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Police have temporarily shut down Checkmate Bar and Grill in the Lovejoy neighborhood after an overnight shooting. The victim is in critical condition.

    Neighbors in the Lovejoy neighborhood say this isn’t the first time there’s been trouble at Checkmate. That’s why they want the city to keep it closed for good.

    Police say the shooting happened just before 3 o’clock Saturday morning in the 1100 block of Lovejoy street. Detectives say there was some kind of incident inside Checkmate Bar and Grill involving many people. They say that incident continued outside the bar, where a 32-year-old man was shot. He was taken to ECMC in critical condition.


    http://wivb.com/2018/01/27/buffalo-p...ight-shooting/

  15. #15
    Member gorja's Avatar
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    Is there any update?

    Georgia L Schlager

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