A Mid-Century Landmark Lost
On a warm September 1968 afternoon in Nyack, sixth-grader Alan Englander left Hilltop School on Highland Avenue and heard the village fire alarm. Moments later, he saw clouds of black smoke rising over Route 59. His heart sank—flames were devouring his favorite ice cream parlor, McDermott’s Milk Bar.
The fire forced the closure of the New York State Thruway, Route 59, and Route 9W as plumes of smoke could be seen as far away as White Plains and the Palisades Parkway. But the greater loss was not to traffic—it was to Nyack’s spirit. A cherished mid-century gathering spot, where generations had celebrated birthdays, shared banana splits, and lingered over jukebox tunes, was gone in a single afternoon.
“We could see the smoke like it was right there. When we learned what it was EVERYBODY was sad—we all loved that place.”
Marianne Taylor Polloni
From Jackson Avenue to Route 59
The McDermott brothers—Frank, Emmet, Peter, and Thomas—were no strangers to Nyack. In 1924 they purchased the Felter & Amitrani milk distributorship at 38 Jackson Avenue. While Frank and Emmet managed their Haverstraw branch, Peter and Thomas oversaw the Nyack operation. From their Jackson Avenue creamery, they sold Grade-A milk and cream from Puritas Farms, later adding butter and milk shipped by refrigerated rail cars from Greene County.
The Jackson Avenue business became part of village life. Delivery trucks rattled through neighborhoods, and kids sometimes hitched a ride or snagged a free bottle cap. But those early years weren’t without drama—before the business even took hold, Frank’s Ford touring car was stolen on South Broadway. Luckily, police recovered it in Piermont within twenty minutes.
By the 1940s, the brothers had grown into one of the region’s largest independent dairies. Yet as America embraced the automobile, milk deliveries and small-town creameries began to feel old-fashioned. The future lay along the new highways. In 1950, the McDermotts traded Jackson Avenue’s quiet yard for Route 59’s wide lanes, neon signs, and car-hop culture. Their new creation, McDermott’s Milk Bar, was both a restaurant and a symbol of mid-century modern life.
Mid-Century Cool on Route 59
With its clean architectural lines, bold roadside sign, and sprawling parking lot, McDermott’s looked like it belonged on a postcard of 1950s America. Families slid into chrome-and-vinyl booths, teenagers crowded around jukeboxes, and kids begged for towering banana splits.
The milk bar embodied the optimism of the era. Bright, modernist design gave the restaurant a futuristic feel, while its homemade ice cream and hearty sandwiches kept it rooted in tradition. McDermott’s became so popular it forced Miller’s Milk Bar in West Nyack to close by 1952.
From 1960 to 1967, Nan and Ed Traverson ran the restaurant, adding to its reputation as Nyack’s roadside hot spot. Their success at McDermott’s helped launch another landmark, Traverson’s Wooden Indian, just down Route 59.
The Fire That Ended an Era
At 4:40 p.m. on September 30, 1968, smoke began seeping into the dining area. Only three waitresses and one booth of five customers were inside. Workers escaped without injury, but flames raced through an upstairs storage space packed with cartons and containers. Within minutes, fire burst through the tar roof.
Despite efforts from multiple fire companies, the blaze consumed the building. Five firemen were treated at Nyack Hospital and released. By evening, only a charred shell remained. Dangerous ammonia leaks from refrigeration units lingered into the night.
The McDermott brothers never rebuilt. Frank retired to Florida, and in 1969 the ruins were demolished. Losses were estimated at half a million dollars. Since then, the location has seen dry cleaners and taco shops.
The End of Roadside Modern
The blaze that destroyed McDermott’s was more than a fire—it marked the end of an era. Within two years, two more village favorites, Hearne’s Confectionery and the Eagle Confectionery, also burned down. Meanwhile, suburban malls and fast-food chains moved in, replacing neon-lit milk bars with drive-through lanes and boxy restaurants.
McDermott’s had been more than a restaurant. It was a mid-century modern landmark—part sleek roadside architecture, part community hub—where everyday life mixed with the glamour of jukebox tunes and bright neon. Its loss symbolized the passing of a uniquely mid-century chapter in Nyack’s history.
Half a century later, memories of chrome counters, jukebox songs, and banana splits linger as vividly as the flames that brought it all to an end.
Mike Hays lived in the Nyacks for 38-years. He worked for McGraw-Hill Education in New York City for many years. Hays serves as President of the Historical Society of the Nyacks, Vice-President of the Edward Hopper House Museum & Study Center, and Upper Nyack Historian. Married to Bernie Richey, he enjoys cycling and winters in Florida. You can follow him on Instagram as UpperNyackMike.
Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by Sun River Health and Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty. Sun River Health is a network of 43 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) providing primary, dental, pediatric, OB-GYN, and behavioral health care to over 245,000 patients annually. Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty is the lower Hudson Valley’s Leader in Luxury. Located in the charming Hudson River village of Nyack, approximately 22 miles from New York City. Our agents are passionate about listing and selling extraordinary properties in the Lower Hudson Valley, including Rockland and Orange Counties, New York.
