BUFFALO, N.Y. — One of the oldest bars in Buffalo has closed its doors after one of its owners passed away.
Just one day ago, the Swannie House posted on Facebook that it has closed. They also thanked their supporters.
Debbie and Tim Wiles owned the bar and restaurant for the past 40 years. After Debbie passed away last week, the Swannie House announced it would be closed until further notice.
We visited with Tim a decade ago for a Unique Eats segment. He told us all about how the old brick building on the corner of Michigan and Ohio used to be a boarding house.
"The building itself was built by a guy by the name of John Williams, and he was a Connecticut financier. When he passed away, his son and daughter sold it to his partner's son, John Swanerski, Jr. So then the Williams family, the son and daughter, took the money from the Swannie House, and they started Children's Hospital with it, which was one of the first children's hospitals in the United States," Swannie House owner Tim Wiles said in 2013.
Since it was a Unique Eats story, we talked with Tim about the food served at the Swannie House.
"We put out a good sandwich and a great bowl of soup. You'll never go wrong. So, of course, we put out pretty good wings and a few other things. What we do is make it nice for everyone. We hang out. Great place to hang out," Tim Wiles said.
This would have been a huge weekend coming up for the Swannie House with both St. Patrick's Day parades happening this weekend.