On Monday, the building that housed George’s Fabulous Roadhouse, and a long line of establishments before it, was torn down in Sackville.

Owner Darren Wheaton said he made the decision based on the condition of the building, and after trying to sell it.

A long line of music venues and drinking establishments inhabited the building. Before George’s, there was Mermaids, and before Mermaids there was Steve’s Tavern. And even before Steve’s, there was the Sackville Tavern.

Exterior of the old George's Roadhouse on demolition day, Nov. 16, 2020. Photo by Erica Butler.

Darren Wheaton inherited the bar from his brother Mike, who served as a bartender as Steve’s and co-owned and then owned George’s. Wheaton says his brother took over the place mostly out of nostalgia.

“He just bought it because he wanted to keep it going. It was his watering hole, or whatever, when he was growing up. So he didn’t want to see anything happen to it," he says.

George’s hosted years of live music events, and had a long relationship with the Tantramar Blues Society.

“I can’t remember the exact date,” says Wheaton, “probably 12 years ago, shortly before my brother passed away. We started working with the Tantramar Blues Society bringing in world class blues acts, and it just went from there.”

“We had some good years with students coming down, supporting us with all the bands. And then the attendance started dropping down, so we made the decision we had to close it," he adds. "The last time it closed was in 2012. We did keep it open as a performance venue for a little bit longer than that, but there was nothing going on there for the last four years.”

After trying to sell it, structural issues came to light, says Wheaton, and then the decision to demolish.

“It just wasn’t feasible to try to sell it anymore,” he says. “And then with the property taxes being what they were, and with nothing going on there, it was just too expensive to maintain it.”

Demolition day for George's Roadhouse in Sackville, NB. Photo by James Anderson.

The building dates back to 1908, when the Intercolonial Hotel was rebuilt after a fire. The four-storey hotel served travellers passing through what was once a busy railway station across the street.

The hotel died out along with the railway, and eventually the top three floors of the hotel building were torn down and a new roof put on. That’s the building that remained through the years until yesterday.

Wheaton has lots of fond memories of George’s, including events that became annual traditions in town, like the Boxing Day Bash and Good Friday shows with Sam Moon.

“I think being part of the Tantramar Blues Society is probably the most memorable because some of the bands we brought in were just phenomenal,” says Wheaton. “I was really glad we got to see some of them.”

“I like to think that we sort of brought music back to Sackville for a while because there wasn’t anyone else really doing it,” says Wheaton. “But then again, everything has its cycle. It was up and it went down, and it was up again,” he says.

But now, Wheaton points out, it’s down again. “Now that Thunder and Lightning is closed, there’s not much for live music in Sackville anymore.”

Wheaton also owns Ducky’s and says he won’t be hosting live music for the time being.

“I’m not going to do anything right now until this whole COVID situation is over. There’s not a lot of bands touring presently, and with our capacity limited, it’s probably not super feasible for either us or the bands to come in,” he says.

It’s no secret the live music industry has been hit hard by COVID, with venue closures across the country. Wheaton says he hopes Ducky’s can survive the pandemic.

“I’m doing my best. That’s all I can do,” he says. “I guess it’s how deep your pockets are.”

The site of the former George’s Roadhouse, Steve’s Tavern, and the Intercolonial Hotel, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020. Photo by Erica Butler.

Wheaton says he has no concrete plans for the former George’s site yet, though eventually he’d like to move his other business, Wheaton’s All-in-One Redemption Centre, to a larger building there.

If you have memories of the Intercolonial Hotel, The Sackville Tavern, Steve’s Tavern, Mermaids, or George’s Roadhouse, we want to hear from you. CHMA is collecting stories for an audio documentary looking back at the Lorne Street fixture. Contact news@chmafm.com to share your story.