Blue Bird Tavern to be demolished

On Rt 46, Mt Olive. Often wondered the story behind it.
https://www.newjerseyhills.com/mt_olive_chronicle/news/blue-bird-tavern-set-to-fly-into-oblivion/article_ed498f6f-8133-5628-9223-0943b5c066fe.html

OnTheEdge OnTheEdge
Oct '19

It's about time. An eyesore for sure.

Calico696 Calico696
Oct '19

I'm surprised it hasn't fallen down on its own by this time.

ianimal ianimal
Oct '19

"Rao purchased the building after a foreclosure but the property remains in litigation."
That's the problem with the courts, years after a purchase there is still a legal issue that could cause the owner to delay repairs.

dodgebaal dodgebaal
Oct '19

Oh no. Many a memories there.

auntiel auntiel
Oct '19

Seems like it has been closed for much longer than 15 years.

I always mixed that place up with the Dew Drop Inn.


Yes it's been closed since at least the mid 90s if not longer. Interestingly, Elsie from Claus' Tavern aka Elsie's on Waterloo Road and her sister Clara Wolckenhauer bought the Blue Bird Inn in 1998. Elsie died in 1999 and both properties have been in a downward spiral since then.

Walking Girl Walking Girl
Oct '19

I moved to Mt. Olive in 1996 and it was closed then.

Calico696 Calico696
Oct '19

I’m surprised to read that they are being forced to demolish it or else the town will and then bill for it.

I know where there is a house that literally looks like it has been long abandoned- driveway filled with piles of garbage, furniture, moldy couch, trees growing all up around the house and brush.

Might as well be a crack house and yet a man lives in it and nobody does anything about it.

The house next to him is meticulously manicured and well-kept yet this guy lives in a dump that ruins their chances of ever selling if they were to try to go on market.

Wish the government would go tell him to clean it up or else they will knock it down and bill him.


I always wondered if that was a hoppin' place back in the day (and I'm talking before the 90s... that building looks much older than that)

For some reason, I always think alot of fun had been had there, looks like something out of the 50s and 60s, when people would "come out west" to go to Budd Lake for a long weekend or vacation, and that was one of the local watering holes to have a good time.

JeffersonRepub JeffersonRepub
Oct '19

To the best of my knowledge the building has been vacant since 1997.


I grew up in Budd Lake (1977 - 1991). I never remembered the Blue Bird ever being opened. But then again, I was a kid, so it's not like I would have frequented the place.

JennyBean73 JennyBean73
Oct '19

Never open at any point in the 90’s.

Closed some point in the early 80’s at best.

Ordained
Oct '19

I remember going there back in the late 80's.. If I recall they had great food too and it was "the local watering hole"...

joyful joyful
Oct '19

Think it closed sometime in mid, early 80s. Drove past it every day.


Been in there a couple of times in the very early 80's. Not much happening there then although it did have a pool table.

Boobalaa Boobalaa
Oct '19

It was closed when we moved here in 1992.

kb2755 kb2755
Oct '19

Closed before then, not that it really matters.
I had friends that lived in a home on a side street that pretty much backed to it.
Was closed at least in 1986.
How long before that? Who knows.

Stymie Stymie
Oct '19

Always figured it must have been an old gay bar from the 70's


When I lived in the Village Green apts, right east of there on Rt.46, in 1987 and 1988, it was still open.

The Rhyme Animal The Rhyme Animal
Oct '19

LOL Josh...my parents used to say the exact same thing when we'd pass it in the 80's on our way down 46. Maybe it was a gay bar?

Eperot Eperot
Oct '19

Re: Blue Bird Tavern to be demolished

Someone posted these this morning on the Hackettstown Through The Years FB Page.

Walking Girl Walking Girl
Oct '19

Re: Blue Bird Tavern to be demolished

Another one

Walking Girl Walking Girl
Oct '19

Re: Blue Bird Tavern to be demolished

Last one

Walking Girl Walking Girl
Oct '19

Cool pics, Walking Girl. I was told it was a gay bar as well.

Calico696 Calico696
Oct '19

I grew up in Budd Lake and remember the Blue Bird in the 60's and 70's. I believe it was owned then by the Meisner family, I went to school with the son. It was a quiet tavern with a dining room and good food. I can also remember during hunting season they were members of a hunting club and they had a place in the rear where they would hang deer. Lots of them. they would later have a venison dinner if you wanted to go. I moved out in the early 80's and it was open then. I really don't know when it closed. I can remember having a few beers there and I'm sorry to see it go.


Interesting.. thanks for the pics Walking Girl! Looks like route 46 used to be known as just route 6.

hktownie hktownie
Oct '19

Looks like it was a cool place back in the day. "Where everybody knows your name" kind of place...

JeffersonRepub JeffersonRepub
Oct '19

I saw the pictures too this morning on Facebook, Walking Girl and was hoping someone would share them on here. That is exactly how I remember that place..If I recall it was kind of dark in there no matter what time of the day you went in..

joyful joyful
Oct '19

Wonder if any of that bar furniture is still in there? Sure it's in bad shape tho after all these years.

thomasnj thomasnj
Oct '19

I went there when it was open and no it was not a gay bar. It was a dump not a gay bar


I've been driving up and down Route 46 through Budd Lake since 1983 and remember at one point someone had completely restored it. But it never opened, I heard perhaps no liquor license was available or as mentioned above the death of one of the owners? And then it just started to fall apart again over the years.

Wendy Wendy
Oct '19

i heard it was a gay bar also. why wasn't it ever opened after it was remodeled even w/o a liquor license?

So many fewer nightclubs also, as the years go on. No more Governor's Inn, The Final Exam, Society Hill, etc..

Hackresident Hackresident
Oct '19

I remember reading somewhere that there was a change in the zoning laws in Mt. Olive and the parking lot was not adequate size for the size of the building. And they were not able to expand the parking lot since the land behind the building is zoned as protected wetlands.

thomasnj thomasnj
Oct '19

Looks like a cool place to go. One of the pictures posted showing the back bar, almost looks like Marley's in H-town. Regardless if it was a gay bar or not, I'm sure I would have gone. I grew up in MO since I was born, and it has been closed my entire life. I can remember sneaking in there as a kid to hang out - we would go in through the back of the place....

DancerLife
Oct '19

I did hear that too about not enough parking as an issue.

Hackresident Hackresident
Oct '19

Hackresident- And the Lighthouse on Lake Hopatcong!

Pampurr Pampurr
Oct '19

The Lighthouse is now PaVinci's . It's now a bar on the lower level only and nightclub. When the Lighthouse was around, it was also on the 2nd level, where the great cover bands also played. Now that is a music studio. I heard that Whitney Houston, many moons ago, was in talks to buy that......

Hackresident Hackresident
Oct '19

The bouncers at the Lighthouse were too rough on patrons.I saw them rough up a patron one evening.Not long after they hurt a customer so bad that the person needed to be hospitalized.

murof
Oct '19

It's gone. Today my son drove by before 8AM and construction equipment was there and Blue Bird still standing . Later about 2PM BB was gone. I moved here in 1989 and never saw it open for business. An eyesore it's finally gone. Thanks to the powers that be.

T Henry T Henry
Jan '20

I always wondered if that place had been built like that or if it had sunk over the years.

Mordred Mordred
Jan '20

About time they brought this monstrosity and blight on our community down.


It would have been a good place for a troll to live though Jono!

kepa
Jan '20

Good work mt olive glad see changes now let’s keep going


I remember when that place was opened in the 1970s. it had a lot of business and not enough parking.

Hackresident Hackresident
Jan '20

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