Allentown and Buffalo community mourns loss of The Old Pink

BUFFALO, N.Y. — If Cheers is the bar where everyone knows your name, The Old Pink was a distant cousin.

What many Allentown residents and Buffalonians called “a safe haven” or their “second home” was demolished Monday afternoon after catching fire just hours earlier – burying decades of memories in the rubble.

“I feel like a part of my soul died today,” a bar employee said.

The two-alarm fire broke out around 5:45 a.m. Monday, with crews responding to the scene and finding The Pink engulfed in thick smoke. Firefighters were unable to attack from the inside due to the extent of the flames.

No one was inside at the time and crews were able to confine him to the bar.

No cause of the fire has yet been identified.

“It appears the fire started on the exterior of the building, on the lower exterior in the back,” Buffalo Fire Chief William Renaldo said. “But we’ll talk more about it, because it’s definitely still under investigation.”

Officials say the damage is estimated at about $1.25 million and it’s not yet known whether The Pink can be rebuilt.

As the demolition finished, the empty lot was flooded with bar patrons, eager to collect a brick as a souvenir.

Its uncertain future leaves many people in the city lost. All they have left are the bricks they collected and the memories of the famous steak sandwiches and what many call the best music in town.

“It’s the bar that makes you feel like you belong,” said Buffalo resident Olivia Abbate. “You really want to be there.” A little piece of us all remained in The Pink.

But as they watched their favorite establishment turn into rubble, attendees were nostalgic for the good times they had there.

“This place will always be this place,” said Buffalo resident Connor Baetzhold. “Pink will always be Pink, and I think that’s what it was meant to be.”