Deterioration in Troy
Portion of building attached to former South End Tavern collapses.
A portion of a building attached to the former South End Tavern collapsed sometime Saturday. There were no injuries, but it was unclear Sunday whether the row of connected buildings would have to be demolished.
The northern wall at 757 Burden Ave., next door to what locals knew affectionately as Marty Burke’s tavern, had almost entirely crumbled, and the entire building was blocked off by caution tape Sunday.
A city spokesman said Sunday that crews had determined that the building was not in imminent danger of falling down but that another inspection would be done Monday.
The popular restaurant, famed for its corned beef and cabbage dinners, was operated over 79 years by three generations of Burkes, all named Marty. That string ended in the summer of 2013, after a citywide property reassessment threatened to nearly quadruple the buildings’ tax bill.
For many years, it was a popular stop for workers from the nearby steel plants and other South Troy factories. Even after the factories closed, it continued to draw customers. The tavern cured its own corned beef, and each St. Patrick’s Day would go through more than 1,000 pounds of it.
The reassessment, however, led to Marty Burke’s decision to retire after 41 years in the business. He had hoped to sell the business, but it’s not clear whether he ever succeeded.
When the tavern closed, it still displayed a prominent “Ladies Entrance” sign over the separate entrance to the dining room. While women had been welcomed in the bar since at least the early 1970s, the sign remained.
It and the South End Tavern sign both are now on display at the Rensselaer County Historical Society in downtown Troy.