The Fireside” To Be Resurrected

LOCAL RESTAURATEUR PURCHASES BUILDING A SCHENECTADY LEGACY BUSINESS TO REOPEN PLANS SUPPORTED BY FOUNDING FAMILY RENOVATION AIMS TO RESTORE THE ORIGINAL “FEEL & TASTE” LATEST DEVELOPMENT OF THE EASTERN PARKWAY CORRIDOR PUBLIC INVITED TO FOLLOW & JOIN IN THE PROCESS

LOCAL RESTAURATEUR PURCHASES BUILDING – The long dormant building at 1631
Eastern Parkway in Schenectady which formerly housed “The Fireside” pizzeria has been sold to
Tommy Nicchi, owner of The Broken Inn in Niskayuna, The Horses Lounge in Schenectady and The
Parlor at Schenectady Municipal Golf Course.

A SCHENECTADY LEGACY BUSINESS TO REOPEN – According to Nicchi, who will restore
and reopen the business as ‘The Fireside’ in 2026, “This place means so much to so many people in
this City, myself included. Literally decades after their last visit, when I mention it to people, they
still just light up. It is beloved and it really has a legacy”.

PLANS SUPPORTED BY FOUNDING FAMILY – Prior to purchasing the building, Nicchi met
with members of the Pace family whose patriarch Bob Pace, who passed away in 2019, built and
operated the restaurant from its founding in 1978 until its closure 2011. Per Nicchi, “They’ve been
so wonderful, sharing old photos and stories and talking about the staff and of course how their
pizza was made. There have been tears and smiles at each meeting”.

RENOVATION TO RESTORE THE ORIGINAL “FEEL & TASTE” – Although the building has
been vacant for nearly 15 years and much work is needed, Nicchi has plans to restore as much as
possible of the original Fireside. Said Nicchi “I want to bring the feel back. I don’t like new. I like
renew. We’re going to be able to save the fireplace, the upstairs bar and the staircase. I’ve even
purchased a Pac-Man table machine and tried to replicate the old logo because those are things I
still vividly remember. And of course we’re gonna trial and error like crazy until we can
successfully bring back that Fireside pizza”.

LATEST DEVELOPMENT OF THE EASTERN PARKWAY CORRIDOR – The Fireside project
is just one of several projects scheduled for the Eastern Parkway corridor including St. Clare’s
hospital being developed into mixed use space. “This really started very simply after I said
something like ‘Next let’s do the Fireside’ to a member of Metroplex right when we reopened The
Horses Lounge” said Nicchi. “Literally the next week Metroplex and I started working on it and
neither of us ever stopped. Without them this absolutely doesn’t happen, and the building, and its
history, are likely lost forever.”

PUBLIC INVITED TO FOLLOW & JOIN IN THE PROCESS – Throughout the renovation and
reopening process the public will be able to get an inside look on social media where they can view
progress and also share their photos, stories and ideas. Accounts are already live on Facebook and
Instagram with the handle “FiresidePizzeria” and links to both pages can be found on the
website https://firesidepizzas.com