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Old Town Bar and Restaurant

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Coordinates: 40°44′15.05″N 73°59′21.18″W / 40.7375139°N 73.9892167°W / 40.7375139; -73.9892167
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Street front, 2010

The Old Town Bar and Restaurant is a bar and restaurant located between Park Avenue and Broadway at 45 East 18th Street in the Flatiron District, Manhattan in New York City, one block north of Union Square.

Originally 45 East 18th Street was constructed in 1901,[1] but the business was started, at 43 E. 18th St., in 1892, by Jacob Burckel,[2] whose name is on the 1896 license behind the bar.[1] Harry W. Viemeister, a saloon and restaurant owner in New York from as early as 1894, moved to 45 E. 18th St. in 1912.[1] As the bar has been in continuous operation since 1901, this makes it one of the oldest bars in the New York City area.

During Prohibition, the 45 E. 18th St. Bar changed its name to Craig's Restaurant and started serving food in order to operate as a speakeasy.[1][2]

In 1933,[2] 45 E. 18th St., the German-American Lohdens,[2] bought the bar, changing the name to the Old Town Bar, and the neon sign was erected, in 1937.[1]

After the end of Prohibition and the closing of the nearby 18th Street Subway station on 8 November 1948, the bar began to fall into disrepair.[citation needed] In the late 1960s, Irish-American Larry Meagher[2] offered to manage and took over operations, opened the bar in the evenings and began to serve food,[2] and the bar saw a resurgence of popularity.[3] In the 1990s, Larry Meagher inherited the bar and the building from Henry Lohden.[2] Meager also died, leaving management of the Old Town to his children and now Gerard Meagher is manager and co-owner.[4]

The Old Town Bar has managed to preserve a lot of its original fixtures which date back to the 19th century. The bar itself is 55 feet long and made of marble and mahogany. The ceiling, made of "tin" (actually pressed steel[5] tiles), is 16 feet high. Other original furnishings include large beveled mirrors, antique cash registers, wooden booths, and New York's oldest dumbwaiter that ferries food orders from the upstairs kitchen down to the bar. Another notable feature is the row of old floor-length[6][7] 1910[4] Hinsdale[8][9] urinals in the first floor Men's room.[10] A creaky wooden staircase (also original) leads to an upstairs dining area, which was closed for several years before being reopened in the 1970s to cater to an unexpected increase in patrons coming to the bar on their lunch break.[11]

Several music artists and Hollywood directors have used the Old Town as a backdrop for their music video productions and movie scenes, including rap group House of Pain for a music video for their 1992 single "Jump Around",[2] and director Whit Stillman for his 1998 feature film The Last Days of Disco.[12] It also appeared in the films The Devil's Own (1997),[2] State of Grace (1990),[2] Q & A (1990), Bullets over Broadway (1994), and Madonna's 1993 "Bad Girl" video.[11] The bar also appeared in the television shows, Sex and the City, Mad About You, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and in the opening montage[2] of Late Night with David Letterman from 1987 to 1992.[13][14] The exterior was used in the television sitcom "Mad About You" to represent the fictional establishment "Riffs" in the show.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Grutchfield, Walter. "Old Town Bar Restaurant, 45 E. 18th St. (2002)". New York City signs from 14th Street to 42nd Street. 14to42.net. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Cobb, Geoffrey (August 16, 2022). "Meagher rescued Old Town Bar, a New York City icon". The Irish Echo. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  3. ^ Kessler, Kevin (September 11, 2014). "Drink in New York City History at Old Town Bar". The Village Voice. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  4. ^ a b Gardner, Ralph Jr. (October 28, 2015). "Porcelain Majesty". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  5. ^ Fletcher, Brekke (February 18, 2020) "The oldest, most iconic bars in New York City: Old Town Bar" CNN
  6. ^ "Mens Washroom with a Urinal". Getty Images. 31 January 2007. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Row of antique urinals atop tile floor - Series of old-fashioned 'Standard' porcelain urinals set in black and white tiled and sloped floor". Getty Images. 13 July 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  8. ^ Hinsdale, Winfield E. (1 November 1910). "patent: Urinal-stall". Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  9. ^ "This Bar Has the Oldest, Grandest Urinals In New York City". Bon Appétit. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  10. ^ Doll, Jen (1 November 2010). "Manhattan Bar Throws Birthday Bash for Really, Really Old Urinals". The Village Voice. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  11. ^ a b Foxley, David (26 February 2007). "Tears at the Old Town". New York Observer. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  12. ^ "Old Town Bar & Restaurant". New York. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  13. ^ "Old Town Bar". oldtownbar.com. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  14. ^ Late Night with David Letterman 5th Anniversary Special (1987) on YouTube
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40°44′15.05″N 73°59′21.18″W / 40.7375139°N 73.9892167°W / 40.7375139; -73.9892167

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