March 9, 2017 By Christian Murray
A former owner of PJ Horgan’s is opening an Irish bar on Skillman Avenue in a location that was a former dry-cleaning store.
Joe Gillespie, a Sunnyside resident who co-owned PJ Horgan’s for several years, plans to open an Irish bar/restaurant at 49-02 Skillman Avenue.
“Basically, I’m going to do an updated version of my old store PJ Horgan’s,” Gillespie said at a community board committee meeting last night.
PJ Horgan’s, which had been located at 42-17 Queens Blvd for more than four decades, closed in 2015 after the property was bought by John Ciafone who plans to develop the site or resell it as a development property.
PJ Horgan’s at the time of sale was owned by John Murphy. Gillepsie owned the bar prior to Murphy.
Gillespie said that the Skillman Avenue building is about the same size as PJ Horgan’s. He plans to put in a kitchen and offer quality Irish food.
The site has never been used as a bar/restaurant before so Gillepsie will be revamping the space from scratch.
Gillespie is well known in the neighborhood. He co-owns the Globe Tavern, located at 49-10 Skillman, which he bought with Rena Hershberger in 2014. He has also been a bar tender at the Cuckoo’s Nest in Woodside in recent years.
That section of Skillman Avenue is undergoing a great deal of change. The former Murphy’s Bar, located across the street, is currently being revamped by a new owner. Meanwhile, the Alcove, a popular bar located at 41-11 49th Street, opened at the end of 2015.
Gillespie did not say when he expects to open his new bar, nor what its name will be.
