In the early morning hours of June 17, 2024, the Buffalo Fire Department (BFD) responded to the scene of a fire at 223 Allen Street, a restaurant/bar known as The Old Pink. The building was engulfed in flames and was ultimately destroyed.
The fire marshal determined that the fire had been set deliberately. Investigators recovered a blue propane torch from the rear of the building and video eviden
ce showed an individual in the rear of the building near the origin of the fire. The same individual is then seen walking away from the area and a short time later, a fire can be seen.
According to U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo, investigators, and people who knew him, that in
dividual in the video was John W. Burns of Buffalo, who has now pleaded guilty to arson in federal court.
Prosecutors determined that Burns was at The Old Pink earlier in the evening and had a con
frontation with a security officer . The security officer told police that he had confronted Burns afte
r a female patron complained that Burns had touched her inappropriately. The security off
icer said Burns was asked to leave but refused. Police said that a fight ensued and Burns stated: “I’ll be back (expletive), I’ll burn that (expletive) down, ain’t nobody going to have a job.”
Buffalo police estimated the damages at $1.25 million. The building had to be demolished and the popular bar has not reopened.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 27. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The establishment was a long-time beloved “dive bar” known for offering inexpensive drinks and steak sandwiches.
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According to reporting by Buffalo Rising, the vacant lot was purchased after the insurance claim was settled and is under development.
Department of Buildings inspectors are investigating reports that a steel beam was compromised
at the site, where the former headquarters of Pfizer Inc. are being converted into residential units.
The two buildings are expected to yield roughly 1,600 rental units, about 400 of them designated affordable housing, making it one of the largest office-to-residential conversions underway in the US.
The developers, through an entity called 235 East 42 Owner LLC, took full control of the site a
fter buying out partner Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc.’s remaining stake. Pfizer vacated the building in 2023 after relocating to a new headquarters at Huds
on Yards on Manhattan’s West Side.
The project is among several reshaping the office stock of Midtown Manhattan as developers conver
t aging office towers into apartments amid a broader US housing shortage. Gensler, the architecture firm on the jo
b, has called the building’s mixed 1960s-era structural systems a uniquely difficult retrofit, with contractors working to pour a new floor every few days to try to meet the 2026 opening.
