By Matthew Monks
Reilly's restaurant and pub at 60-65 Flushing Ave., a landmark watering hole for two decades, was destroyed in a fire, officials and the building's owner said. “It was a popular place,” said Gerrold Conway, owner of the two-story building. “It was supposed to re-open the kitchen on St. Patrick's Day.”The fire broke out on the first floor at 12:30 p.m., a Fire Department spokesman said. It went to a second alarm about a half an hour later and was brought under control at 2:15 p.m.Z. Apod, 19, was working behind the counter of a deli next door when he heard the fire engines arrive on the scene. “The fire started in the kitchen,” Apod said. “(I saw) smoke. A lot of smoke. There's no luck on this block. Things happen. What can you do?”He said he witnessed a fire in the same building late last year. Newsday reported that an electrical short in the kitchen was suspected as causing the earlier blaze. Conway said the bar's owner, Terry Reilly, recently completed renovating the top-floor apartment. According to records from the city Department of Buildings, repairs to the roof cost $10,000. The bar owner took over the place two years ago, spending $250,000 to renovate the entire establishment, said Conway, a pub regular who just last week stopped by for a pint. “It was popular place,” Conway said. “I don't know what (Reilly's) going to do. He's really distraught.”Reilly's marks the third recent loss of a neighborhood landmark in the Community Board 5 region. Durow's of Glendale and Dan Foley's pub on Myrtle Avenue folded earlier this month. And Niederstein's, a 150-year-old German eatery on Metropolitan Avenue in Middle Village, closed in February. Reach reporter Matthew Monks by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
