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Keeping Up Through The Years
A local bar's century-long story
As you walk past the cherry wood walls and antique fixtures, it’s like stepping back in time. Located on Protection Ave in the heart of Plattsburgh’s downtown community lies the Monopole; a restaurant and bar that has been around since the turn of the century.
The Monopole started in the late 1800's as a steak and seafood house, and remains a place for locals to come and enjoy a drink and dinner with friends and family. In the 1920's the Monopole underwent a cover as a speakeasy during the time of Prohibition states,says Corey Rosoff. Rosoff, an alumnus of Plattsburgh State and owner of the Monopole since 1990, says that no matter what the bar has dealt with, it has "always made it through."
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Over the past 121 years it has been in service, the Monopole has withstood many different hardships but still features its original molding, woodwork and stained glass behind the bar. It is not only a bar and restaurant, but also a unique time capsule where people can come to and enjoy themselves while admiring the fragments of history sequestered within the walls of the building.
The Monopole consists of two levels. The first level has two bars as well as a pool table and wooden booths that have been around since it opened. The walls of the Monopole are covered with pictures from the early days of the bar and create a lived-in atmosphere for its customers. While walking up the narrow steps to the second level of the Monopole, customers are greeted with a stained glass window and beyond that a small bar.
On one side of the bar, live bands can play on a floor-level staged area with booths. On the other side, there is another pool table as well as small booths built into the walls with checker tables. In the past, men would sit in these small booths and enjoy a beer while playing a game of checkers with their friends. Outside of each booth, a small doorbell is built into the wall; this was to ring the waiters for more drinks or food.
"You can see regulars of all different ages come here, that’s what I love about the Monopole”
Because the bar has been around for so long, it has been a place where families have come for years to enjoy each other’s company. "I have second and third generation regulars that come into the bar,"says Rosoff . "You can see regulars of all different ages come here, that’s what I love about the Monopole."Not only has the Monopole been a part of its customer’s lives but it has been passed down through the families that workthere. " I have second generation staff here. I used to work with the parents and now their kids are working for me,"says Rosoff .
The bartenders at the Monopole have both close ties with each other and the restaurant. It is a piece of history that has stuck with them in which has become "a part of their family". Britney Buell is a senior at Plattsburgh State and has been working at the Monopole since her sophomore year. Her mother, an alumnus of Clinton Community College started working at the Monopole when she was a student and has remained good friends with Rosoff since then. Buell says that she got the job through her mom and has loved working there. "I like the atmosphere," Buell says. "It is very different and diverse."
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" 40 years later, I’m still here"
Buell says that she likes how Rosoff tries to keep the bar original and makes little changes to do so. "The Monopole isn’t like any other bar around here and that’s why I like it,"says Buell . Rosoff states that although originality is key, he still has to keep up with the "constant maintenance"to keep it that way.
" The history, the people keep me coming back, it’s great!"
The Monopole might just be a college job to some, but it can remain a huge part of others' lives as well. Noel Sowley has been with the Monopole for the last 30 years. He says he heard about it from a close friend who stated that it was " his kind of bar". Sowley saysit was in the 1960's when he first heard about the Monopole and " 40 years later I’m still here."After going to Plattsburgh in 1970 Sowley started working at the Monopole in 1979. "It’s still a lot of fun working here,"says Sowley. " The history, the people keep me coming back; it’s great!"
A hidden treasure and a small town historical landmark, the Monopole has been a place for people of the Plattsburgh area to come and relax. After being a part of the Plattsburgh culture for over four generations, the Monopole is a place where future generations can make memories of their own and is something that the community will work to protect because of that reason.
Have you been to the Monopole?
A Brief History of Speakeasys:
All over the country during the roaring 20's, the consumption of alcohol was against the law. It was a drink that made people vile and think irrationally, and the government wanted to do something to stop that. This is why the Prohibition Act was created. It prevented bars and restaraunts to sell any kind of alcoholic beverages to their customers, which in turn made people revolt and develop underground drinking establishments known as speakeakeasys.
Speakeasys was a term used when a bar or restaraunt went against the law and served alcohol during the Prohibition Act. It was a place where men and women could go to gamble, socialize, meet with the opposite sex, listen to music and, of course, drink. All over the country speakeasys made their mark on society. Some even developed special rigs and trap doors where owners could retreat in order to hide their liquor from the police in an underground room or tunnel. Although it is unknown if the Monopole harbors any of these types of contraptions, it was known as a speakeasy in the '20s. It was a place where people could enjoy themselves in secret and although drinking is not against the law these days, the Monopole has still kept up the tradition of making its customers happy.