Historic Poughkeepsie Bar Hosts Students and Locals
By Liam Doerr
It’s nighttime in Poughkeepsie. As locals file in and out of their favorite watering hole, Marist students are still fixing their makeup, buttoning their collars, and having a quick few drinks. Soon they’ll be calling local taxi companies, such as Carissa Rauch, one of the more famous drivers to the student body, to bring them to their favorite weekend hangout.
To many students, Mahoney’s Irish Pub symbolizes two to three years of anticipation and the summation of stories and legends about wild nights at Poughkeepsie’s legendary bar. But to Jamie Rendon, Mahoney’s office manager and former bartender, it’s much more:
“This is just a good place to be, which is why it’s so attractive to college kids. It’s not a high-end restaurant or microbrewery, we stay moderate and people like that.”
She also highlighted that even though the collegiate crowd began growing exponentially in about 2010, there hasn’t been any pushback or conflict between locals or students.
“Plenty of people come here, both people from the area and students alike. There are no problems because of the fun atmosphere we’ve created here.”
Mahoney’s itself is divided into four sections, being the main bar and restaurant area, the Small Party Room that is used for private events, the Claddagh Room that seats up to 85 people, and finally the Vassar Room, the newest edition that gets opened on particularly crowded Saturday nights.
“The ambience at Mahoney’s is more laid back and friendly” said Olivia Pascal, a Marist alum who used to frequent the bar. “It just conveys a sense of maturity since the crowd is older.”
But aside from the reasonably priced drinks and acclaimed Shepard’s Pie, what most people don’t know about Mahoney’s is the historical significance of the building. It served as the original Vassar Brewery, opened in the late 1800s by Matthew Vassar, who would open the titular college in 1861. The building and lot would then be sold to J.J. Johnson at the turn of the century, but remnants of the original brewery remain to this day.
“You wouldn’t know this if you just show up on a Saturday night” said Bob, a retired Hudson Valley police officer and now the restaurant’s maintenance manager. “But there were these giant screws underground and they were used to transport all the hops into the brewery. You can still even see notches on the wall from where the donkey elevator was.”
He also highlighted that the majority of the four-floor building has kept most of the original architecture, from fire doors to the original window moldings to the entryway in the northwest corner. However, the fourth floor is where some of the 19th century architecture is most visible.
“What you see on the fourth floor is called balloon framing, which maximizes the amount of open space in a room. But it’s not Mahoney’s up there, it’s another tenant, they’re good people.”
The fourth floor of the building is rented out by a company called Geodis, a supply chain and logistics firm. The now international company was founded in France in 1906, and today has locations on every populated continent. Manning the front desk of the Poughkeepsie location is Ed Mullen, office manager and Marist College alumni.
When Geodis moved in, they were very careful to preserve and respect the façade and architecture of the building. Though considered a modern company, Geodis matched the old-world brewery theme in every aspect, from wall décor to exposed beams.
When asked if the building should be considered a landmark, Bob responded;
“It probably should, and that’s really on the part of young people to organize and do. Young people can actually get things done.”
