Marcus Dairy in Danbury, Connecticut, Announces Demolition

Just announced last week, Marcus Dairy, the long standing local coffee shop and diner style restaurant which has stood on its spot on Sugar Hollow Road in Danbury, Connecticut, as things sprouted up around it (Danbury Fair Mall, Danbury Square Mall, numerous other restaurants and stores, route 7 extension, car dealerships, etc...) will be demolished.

Marcus Dairy has occupied its current spot since 1947 and while to many these plans to demolish the site of $3.00 breakfasts, great coffee, and open faced turkey sandwich platters comes as no real surprise, to those of us who have enjoyed the comforts of Marcus Dairy for years, this came as some shock.

I happened to be back in town recently and sped over to see what the general mood was like. One waitress who was helping us told me we should "take a picture" (so we did). When asked about what she thought about the impending removal of everything old and familiar, she shrugged. "I understand it, ya' know? It's all about money," she looked out the window at the million dollar homes on the hill and then did a large sweep with her arms, "but, I mean, look at what's around here. I'm amazed they made it this long."

Marcus Dairy will continue under its present operation for some time; there needs to be approval for their plans to demolish the site and replace it with retail stores, a bank, and a rejuvenated version of Marcus Dairy. When I asked our waitress if she had any concerns about the plan or if she knew anything more than what was public, it was obviously still too new of a story for even her: "I worked here a long time and I don't even know! We've all been talking and we all just keep waiting to hear from the family (the Marcus family still operates the restaurant and tends to the property though they stopped producing milk in this property's silos in October 2005.