Vacant Kings Park pub, barber shop collapse during demolition work

A fire-damaged Kings Park pub and the Euro Barber Shop next door collapsed during demolition work at 21 Main St., turning a long-vacant corner of Main Street into a fresh safety concern. Suffolk police closed the road between Church Street and Pulaski Road while crews secured the site, and no injuries were reported.

The Kings Park Fire Department responded around 1 p.m. after a demolition crew removed a support beam inside the structure, causing the building to fail. The shell had already been badly damaged in a February 2025 fire, and both storefronts had remained vacant ever since.

The collapse briefly shut down one of Kings Park’s most visible commercial stretches, where a bagel shop sits nearby and pedestrians move through the block throughout the day. A witness said the failure could have injured someone or damaged parked cars, underscoring how unstable the site remained even months after the blaze.

The incident also raised questions about what happens when a fire-damaged property sits untouched for months before demolition begins. A person familiar with the project said insurance disputes and ownership decisions delayed renovation work, and that the building could no longer withstand the damage from the fire.

Ownership still intends to rebuild Main Street Pub, possibly with two additional floors and apartments above it. The pub had been in business for about 30 years, and owner Scott McKinnon took it over from his father, giving the site both a family history and a prominent place in Kings Park’s downtown. For now, the focus is on cleanup, liability and whether the block can move from a lingering hazard to a rebuilt property that fits the street again.