What Should Replace The Old Verona Inn?

The site of the former Verona Inn, located at 141 Bloomfield Ave., has been vacant since it closed in June 2009.

The building, tucked behind Hardbodz Fitness, is near the Exxon station where Bloomfield Avenue crosses Route 23. 

The Inn attracted a crowd similar to Club 4Sixty6 in West Orange at night and still, for some, it was a preferred place to watch Sunday football. Yet, it had the same fate as Red Cheetah on Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair.

From the outside, no progress has been seen to clean up to bar or renovate for reopening, although the owners were unavailable for contact. 

This is where you come in. It's Week 2 of Patch's Visions for Vacancies. Last week, we focused on the old Cinema 23 in Cedar Grove and we got some great responses from our readers.

The concept behind this column is we’ll present a vacant building and ask you to tell us what you think would be the best use of the vacant space.

Here's the fun part: Forget what zone it’s in. Ignore setback regulations, as well as dump lot coverage rules and all the other zoning jargon that puts most people to sleep.

Our bottom line: If you had your way, what would you like to see there? What would be the best use of the space for the community?

To make this work, this can’t be a one-sided conversation. We want to hear from you in our comments section. And, please, let us know if there’s a vacant space/building you know of as well we can feature in a future column.

Send emails about vacant buildings or stores to Essex County Associate Regional Editor Jack Durschlag at jack.durschlag@patch.com.