The licensing commission has approved restaurant and entertainment licenses for a new function hall planned at 35 Fourth Street, the former site of the Polish American Veterans Hall.
Emiliana Fiesta, LLC submitted the application for the proposed venue. While the applicant also sought a wine and beer license, that approval must wait for an available license to open up in the city. One-day liquor licenses, however, can be issued for individual events such as weddings, birthday parties, and other gatherings at the facility.
The original Polish American hall could accommodate more than 500 people across its two floors. Due to concerns raised by police, the licensing commission approved the restaurant license with a reduced capacity of 250 occupants. This restriction limits operations to a single floor, with the basement reserved exclusively for storage and kitchen use. The owners must also install licenses at all entrances on both levels of the building.
Despite these restrictions, police Captain Keith Houghton expressed worry about the potential for the function hall to evolve into a full-fledged night club. “This is going to be a challenge,” said Houghton, who additionally requested that the building’s opaque exterior be replaced with transparent windows and that police and the licensing committee receive a floor plan.
Paul Goodhue, a Broadway resident, voiced his own objections to the proposal. “I’ve watched the police clean up that corner of Fourth and Broadway,” he said. “You’re going to be opening up a can of worms if that ends up being a nightclub.”
Commission member Roseann Bongiovanni acknowledged the legitimate concerns raised by both law enforcement and neighboring residents. “We do not want this to turn into a nightclub, that’s not an appropriate function,” she said.
Still, Bongiovanni believed that with appropriate safeguards in place, the new building owners deserve an opportunity to operate the function hall. “They bought (the building) with the same use,” Bongiovanni said. “I feel like we should give them a shot.”
Licensing Commission Chairman James Guido added conditions requiring that live bands perform only during functions and that police details be requested for gatherings exceeding 100 attendees.
The function hall’s approved operating hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Sunday.