09/03/2026
Our Main Street Pizza and Deli is down since the fire occurred at Shotos restaurant May 19. Our business is gone and our historic building is compromised. We were there for forty years. Actually, the restaurant was started in the mid sixties as first “Pasquale’s”, later “Prince of Pizza” and we changed the name to “Main Street Pizza and Deli” a few years after we took it over. We served many of the same recipes as the original Pasquale’s. Remember the famous Roast Beef Sandwich?
Our family has not been able to enter the building as it is toxic inside due to smoke and water damage and producing mold. We hired professional cleaners with much experience in this type of situation and they wear hazmat suits and particulate respirators to do their job. They were only allowed to enter in the first couple days after the fire and disposed of all the fresh and frozen food. Recently, before the demolition started, with city permission to enter, they were able to quickly dispose of restaurant stock and other stored items on second floor. The kitchen equipment has been sitting there all this time in dampness and humidity, with terminals and wiring disintegrating. A professional restaurant equipment cleaning expert came in recently and tagged most equipment to be discarded and a few items they could take off premises , check for safety and if justified, cleaned for future safe use. The only way that equipment can get out, is through the front door. For the most part of time we were down, the city restricted anyone to go in our building for safety reasons. Temporary power has been set up in last week to give light for all removal of everything right down to the salt and pepper shakers. Most everything has to be trashed.
An extensive remodel was done in January 2024 of about 60% of the deli downstairs, including newly remodeled handicapped bathrooms, as well as the dining room and waitress station. New order taking devices and processors were added as well. All gone!!
The building structure:
The party interior firewall between the special Candy Factory and our building has holes in it due to the fire causing the Candy Factory’s joists giving way.
The wall was built in 1890 and outside temperatures permitting, is currently planned to be repaired with old brick and lime mortar as done in 1890. It will act as a firewall as it did before the fire. We cannot use modern mortar and brick to repair that wall due to “rising damp”. Groundwater can’t move upward through modern brick and mortar without disintegrating in time, as it can with old porous brick and lime mortar. A historic masonry preservation specialist is being consulted for the correct lime mortar recipe to use for this wall. Joe Hearn consulted with him in the past when the paint was carefully removed from the side of the Ward building and lime mortar was used to repair.
Due to code, we cannot rest our joists on that old wall, even though it did its job for 136 years. It is compromised now.
We have conferred with a specialized steel joist co in Virginia whom helped us in the past design steel structure for inside the Ward building. We will shore up the Deli side of the party wall with steel joists, beams and posts for the second floor and roof to bear its load. The Candy Factory will build their structure independent of that wall. Both buildings will be independent of the old brick wall, which will only act as a firewall now.
The front of the Deli building will be done historically, looking like the front of the Ward building next door. In the 1920s the iron facade of the three bay building was replaced with brick.
The following postcard picture shows the original three bay building with The Candy Factory and the former J. F. Ward building flanking the Main Street Deli building in the center.
Historic tip: The JF Ward Co was originally located in 1875 across the street where Lexington Tourism and Visitor Center office is now, before being constructed where it is currently located in 1890.
Our Plans: We have some idea of what work needs to be done to our Deli building. The Ward building had no smoke or water damage and both these two historic buildings had good bones. When we lay eyes on Deli, after all structure wall coverings, ceilings, fixtures —everything is removed, we will better have an idea for what we are in for and will let everyone know our plans when they are finalized.
We haven’t produced any new media since our postings on Facebook after the fire. Just like you, we have been in the dark concerning damage to the Deli due to not being able to enter. We are very happy that Shoto and The Candy Factory are going to rebuild and hope the Bagel shop comes back as well. It hurt our hearts that surrounding businesses have suffered so with the road closure during this time. Your prayers, calls, and monetary contributions and fundraisers by very special, caring businesses and individuals raised for all of the four businesses affected, brightened our sorrow and are so appreciated. We miss our restaurant so! Our grandchildren worked in the restaurant off and on most of their lives, and they took over management when I retired in 2024. They brought in many new ideas. We miss our employees and faithful customers, some whom patronized us for the forty years we were there. How many times have I heard: “we had our first date here” “I proposed to my wife here” “we grew up coming here every Friday night with family.” etc
The good memories and love for this long standing restaurant will get us through the next journey.
Jackie Hearn
