Watch: Peekskill Eagle Saloon's Owner Talks Controversial Décor

Peekskill’s newest pub opened to controversy at the start of this month, due to its choice of décor. The Eagle Saloon, the latest brainchild of local commercial developer Louie Lanza, of Hudson Room, Buns ‘n’ Bourbon, Taco Dive Bar, and Fin & Brew, styles itself as a Nashville-meets-Austin restaurant and bar in the heart of downtown Peekskill, its walls adorned in everything from autographed guitars to military and law enforcement insignia, even an old rotor off Marine One, the presidential helicopter.

Also hanging are a couple of replica military rifles and a wall painted to display the “Don’t tread on me” Gadsden flag (opposite the bar and a corresponding wall painted as Old Glory.) Following public outcry against inferred meaning of these symbols amidst national crises of both gun violence and racist iconography, Lanza sat down with us to explain his choice of décor, and to condemn how these symbols have been coopted by modern groups. 

Watch the full interview at the top of this page.