Main Street Pub in Kings Park seeks to rebuild after a fire, and Smithtown's push to knock it down

Owners of a Kings Park pub that closed after a February 2025 fire are attempting to rebuild after Smithtown officials sought to raze the longtime fixture over safety concerns.

Main Street Pub has remained closed since the blaze heavily damaged the building and the Euro Barber Shop next door. More than 50 firefighters fought the fire, Newsday previously reported. The barber shop remains closed. 

Last year, the pub's owner Scott McKinnon told Newsday the watering hole was "pretty much destroyed." McKinnon declined to comment about the rebuilding effort.

Earlier this year, Smithtown officials recommended the bar be knocked down, according to a town board resolution. In April, the board held a hearing on a proposal to enter into and remove the structure. The town's building department had deemed it unsafe. The town board closed the public hearing but did not take a vote.

The town issued a permit for interior demolition to the pub's contractor, John Evan Contracting Corp., of Long Beach. The building department is reviewing revised plans. Nicole Garguilo, a Smithtown spokeswoman, said last week that the town expects to approve the plans and issue a building permit so construction can begin.

“It has been made clear to the contractor/owner of the subject site that should construction not commence immediately after the issuance of a building permit, the town will move forward with the demolition ..." Garguilo said. That means the board could approve "a resolution authorizing the preparation of bid specifications for the demolition,” Garguilo added. 

Barry Minsky, owner of John Evan Contracting Corp., said during a town hearing on April 7  the hope was “to restore the building back to the way it was."

"It was a staple in the community for many years,” Minsky said.

The town's building director determined the building was "unsafe," Rachel Lenberger, assistant town attorney for Smithtown, said during that hearing. She cited "property maintenance" and "unsanitary conditions" at the site. Lenberger said it "appears the structure has passed its usefulness as a safe and sanitary commercial building."

McKinnon told Newsday last year that he wanted to "build back better."  "That's my goal ... Everything will work itself out," he said in an interview days after the fire.

Tony Tanzi, president of the Kings Park Chamber of Commerce, said the pub was busy before the fire, and the chamber supports any efforts to reopen it.

"We love to see businesses open. We hate to see them close," Tanzi said. "So anything on that front in hopefully getting them back and operational again would be great, because the town needs some vibrancy and we need some businesses to start that."

The future of the Euro Barber Shop is uncertain, its co-owner, Latife Tulu, told Newsday.

Tulu said the shop had been in business for a decade. Several months before the fire, she and her husband signed a 10-year lease. While she is still waiting on the landlord to decide whether to reopen the barber shop, she said she is optimistic about its future.

"We grew with that business," she said. "We don't want to go anywhere, so we're hoping and we're praying that we'll open and come back."