LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (WCAX) – A historic Lake Placid watering hole is set to be demolished to make way for Olympic Regional Development Authority projects.
Sitting just feet away from the Olympic Center in Lake Placid is a quiet gift shop cabin known as “There and Back Again.”
“I think there are a lot of great memories that are tied into this piece of property, and we look to continue that,” said Chadd Cassidy with Olympic Legacy Sites.
For visitors to the Adirondack village, the building holds little meaning, but for locals, it’s remembered as the former Arena Grill.
“It just was wilder when I ran it, but the other times it was still a place where locals went, people who weren’t coat and tie people, to have a beer, ” said Mike Devlin, the grill’s former owner.
The 83-year-old looks back fondly on when his family owned and operated the beloved watering hole.
Devlin’s father bought the property in 1942, and he took over in the 1960s at only 22. He says it had an undeniable charm and that every night was like “one big fraternity party.” It wasn’t until the 1970s that Dvlin’s brother, Matt, took it over, placing them at the center of one of sport’s most historic moments.
“When the U.S did beat Russia, we all went down and got on the roof of the Arena Grill — which was not difficult at all — and we were all jumping up and down on it and the people inside were running out because we’re falling off the ceiling,” Devlin recalled.
The grill eventually closed, changing its function over the years. “My first job as a 14-year-old kid was here at the Olympic Center, being a rink rat. And then I said earlier, growing up here, I sharpened skates here at the Edge and Sports here in the basement. I had a lot of blood, sweat, and tears here over the years,” Cassidy said.
But now the former grill is being eyed for demolition, as the Olympic Regional Development Authority plans to purchase the property for almost $2 million. Cassidy says the property could include a new bronze statue of the Miracle on Ice athletes, Olympic rings, and expanded parking. “We are going to have ADA parking back here, that is part of the current plan that we have — which is a huge need for the Olympic Center,” he said.
ORDA is still in the process of purchasing the property but hopes to start renovations later this year.
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