COXSACKIE — The Quarry Steakhouse on Route 26, one of Coxsackie’s leading restaurants until it was heavily damaged by fire three years ago, will be demolished, town officials said.
The town board voted unanimously in favor of demolishing the damaged structure.
The board on June 3 sent a letter to Long Island businessman Joseph Pasqualone, the building’s owner, informing him of its decision. The property violates of the Town of Coxsackie’s unsafe buildings code, according to the letter.
Under the code, structures damaged by fire and unsafe buildings that are fire-damaged, which calls for buildings to be demolished, or repairs to be started within 30 days of a fire. By law, all unsafe properties are expected to be demolished or repaired promptly by their owners.
The Quarry Steakhouse on Route 26 has been in disrepair from fire damage since 2019. The Town of Coxsackie has received many complaints and the property has been inspected in accordance with the Town Code.
Town of Coxsackie Code Enforcement Officer Edward Pebler has deemed the building unsafe and in danger of collapse.
“There are serious health and human safety issues that are negatively affecting the surrounding property owners that must be dealt with immediately,” Pebler said. “I recommend that the town complete the process of having the building demolished and removed.”
The restaurant has been closed since former owners David and Trudy Merchant sold it in 2018. The Merchants referred all questions to their son, David J. Merchant. He declined to comment.
“It’s very sad,” Town Supervisor Rick Hanse said at the fire scene three years ago. “We had a lot of very enjoyable times there over the years and it’s a sad thing to see the source of so many great memories go up in smoke.”
The Greene County Sheriff’s Office investigated the fire.
For many years, the Quarry Steakhouse — under the Merchants’ ownership — was the site of numerous fundraisers and celebrations, from Girl Scout parties to political dinners.
The Coxsackie-Athens Rotary Club was a regular crowd at the steakhouse. The organization formerly held its weekly lunch-time meetings there each Wednesday.
The restaurant served its final meal March 31, 2018, just before it came under new ownership. The restaurant was not reopened after the Merchants sold it.
The Quarry Steakhouse was originally established by former Coxsackie Mayor Henry Rausch on his 20th birthday in April 1973. The following year, a banquet hall was added on to the restaurant.
In 1984, the restaurant was sold to the Merchants, who operated it for the next 34 years. At the time, David J. Merchant, the son of the owners, said his parents were ready for a change.
“They’re at the age where it’s time to retire,” he said.
He had been working in the restaurant with his parents from the age of 11, he said. When the Merchants held a final party to bid farewell to the restaurant, hundreds turned out to celebrate the Quarry’s nearly 45-year run.
Bidding for the job of tearing down the structure and removing the debris is the next step, Town Supervisor Rick Hanse said. Greene County will help the Town of Coxsackie with the necessary funds to complete the job.
Pasqualone was invited to the town board meeting to discuss the urgency of removing the building, but he did not attend. A bid for removal was sent out, giving the owner 30 to 60 days to complete the job himself.
If he does not, the total cost will be re-levied on his town tax bill, Hanse said. The property owner must pay the amount by Jan. 31, 2023.