Old New York is going up in smoke!
The neon Smiths Bar near Times Square is closing for good and being replaced by a marijuana dispensary, leaving traumatized patrons with burns.
A popular watering hole at 44th Street and Eighth Avenue in Hell's Kitchen, where theater-going hipsters rubbed shoulders with aging drunks and businessmen for 70 years, closed for good last week.
“It was a piece of history,” said Al Diaz, 49, an engineer who works nearby. “There are no more places like Cheers where you can sit and relax.”
“Look, look at how old this is, look at this lighting,” he added, gesturing to the building. “It feels like I went back in time.”
The venerable Irish bar, which opened in 1954, is now set to become a legal cannabis store, according to reports. license filed with the state.
But some neighbors are crying over their beers over plans for the new joint.
“There are so many other dispensaries now. We don't need a marijuana dispensary anymore,” said Christopher Conkling, 71, a retiree who lives nearby.
“These mother-and-baby stores will go out of business,” he said. “It's sad to see a piece of old New York go.”
Some said they were happy to trade buds for beer.
“It’s all about money, and if [the owner] Now that you know you can make more money with marijuana, why wouldn't you? '' said Brad Zolfas, who works in the area.
Smith's announced it would close in 2014, citing rent increases, but remained silent about other potential issues.
According to the blog, it reopened the following year under new ownership with Skip Panettiere at the helm. w42st.comfirst reported that the weed dispensary would take over Smith's dispensary.
Panettiere said Thursday he hasn't owned the bar in years and doesn't know why it closed.
When asked if he was sentimental about the closure, his answer was very old New York.
“I couldn't care less,” he told the Post. “Things change.”
