Arnold mourns fiery loss of Ida's Place

Ida's Place would have celebrated 36 years of serving spaghetti, lasagna and gnocchi in November.

It's unknown whether the iconic Arnold restaurant that Italian immigrant Ida Peluso began with a single table in 1980 will make it to a 37th anniversary.

Pink flowers still bloomed from the storefront planters Thursday morning, but a glimpse behind the building at 1605 Fifth Ave. revealed the devastation: charred siding dangled from the upper floors, and the roof was partially collapsed into the ground floor.

Peluso, 71, was cooking Wednesday afternoon when a stovetop fire spread through the kitchen and quickly climbed the wooden walls.

Arnold fire Chief J.C. Tedorski said the fire was ruled accidental.

Tedorski said he regretted the dozen responding fire companies were unable to save the building, especially in light of Peluso's generosity to the city's fire companies over the years.

“She's been so good to us,” Tedorski said.

Mayor Karen Peconi said Peluso's concern Wednesday night was for the firefighters: “She said, ‘Tell them to let it burn — I don't want anyone to get hurt.' ”

Peluso declined to talk to a reporter Wednesday and could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Her daughter, Lower Burrell attorney Lisa Peluso, said her mother was taking some time to review her options.

“She's never taken a day off for herself,” Peluso said.

City officials believe the three-story building will need to be demolished; Tedorski called it a total loss. Rick Rayburg, Arnold's code enforcement officer, is on vacation this week and has not made a formal ruling on the building's condition.

Since the building was not insured, Peconi said she's uncertain who will cover the cost of demolition.

Neighboring damage

The future also in uncertain for Forced Air Furnace Co., another long-lived city business that shares a wall with Ida's Place.

Rich Bielata sloshed through the building Thursday and pointed with a flashlight to places where the ceiling tiles had collapsed under the weight of the water that firefighters had to pour on his roof to extinguish the blaze.

Cardboard boxes of recently delivered furnaces were swamped, as were his stockroom of parts and the paperwork in his office.

“I just got all the stock in here for the winter season,” he said. “Everything is soaking wet.”

Bielata said he is awaiting word from his insurance company on a damage estimate and advice on how to proceed.

“I don't know what we're going to do,” said Bielata, who started the business in 1972. “It's just sad. It may not look like much, but it's a lot of stuff.”

An empty lot on the other side of Ida's where a building had been demolished may have saved P&M Pizza, another well-known city restaurant, from extensive damage.

Dawn McKinley, who owns the pizza shop with her husband, Councilman Phil McKinley, said they were able to air out the smoky smell from their building and opened as usual Thursday. She said an inspector would be in to make sure P&M's rubber roof didn't suffer fire damage.

McKinley lamented the potential loss of Ida's, a viable business with an owner who vigilantly maintained her property.

“Every morning, she and I were out here sweeping our sidewalks,” McKinley said. “She took great pride here.”

“She was here from 7 in the morning to 9 at night, Tuesday through Saturday,” said John Hibbard of Arnold, who had worked at Ida's Place for about six months.

He believed Peluso planned to retire in a couple of years: “That two years came two years too soon.”

Hibbard sat on the sidewalk Thursday, washing the soot from framed family photos and Italian prints rescued from Ida's dining room. Included in the stack of frames were newspaper clippings and a plaque that noted Ida's Place was established in November 1980.

Julia Child + Tony Soprano = Ida Peluso

Ida's Place is known for its proprietress' work ethic and colorful conversation as much as the food.

In a 2011 Valley News Dispatch story about Ida's 30th anniversary, a customer described Peluso as a mix of Julia Child and Tony Soprano.

“She didn't pull no punches. But she'd tell you, ‘I love you no matter what,' ” Hibbard said. “I love Ida like a mother.”

A steady stream of cars rolled down Fifth Avenue on Thursday morning, creeping past the burned-out building.

Dorothy Miller, owner of Arnold Furniture, said the turnout was a testament to the city's community spirit and the respect people have for Peluso.

“You can talk about Arnold being a small town, but when something happens, we're all together,” said a tearful Miller.

For Miller, the blaze was an unpleasant reminder of the fire that devastated her family's business 11 years ago.

An online fundraising effort had raised nearly $7,000 for Peluso by Thursday evening.

Many said it was hard to imagine Fifth Avenue without Ida's Place.

“I hope she opens back up — and opens up in Arnold,” Peconi said.

Liz Hayes is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-226-4680 or lhayes@tribweb.com.