April 05, 2007
Wall collapse at storied ex-speakeasy Chumley's
Curbed has the sad news that a wall collapsed at Chumley's this afternoon and the building appears to be in jeopardy.
Update: NY1 now says it was only a chimney, there were no injuries, and it does not appear the building will be condemned.
One of the oldest bars in New York City, the place is steeped in history. It's located in the West Village at 86 Bedford St., map, though the "secret" entrance is through the courtyard around the corner. No sign, just an address.
Kevin Walsh, (who held his Forgotten NY book launch party here last fall,) while writing about NYC's oldest bars, described Chumley's thusly: Chumley's building dates to the 1830s and was originally a blacksmithery. According to legend, in the pre-Civil War era it was a stop where escaped slaves could find a haven (there was a black community on nearby Gay Street). At length it became a gathering place for leftist radicals. By 1922, Leland Chumley had established a speakeasy/gambling den in the old building; the tradition of not marking the entrance continues to this day. It's frequently said (and sometimes disputed,) that the phrase "to 86" someone originated at Chumley's during Prohibition. Tipped off to a raid, the proprieters would "86" their customers -- boot them out the 86 Bedford entrance while the cops came in the other door to -- surprise -- find the place empty.
In "Literary Landmarks of New York" a long list of notable writers are listed as past Chumley's patrons: Djuna Barnes, William S. Burroughs, John Cheever, e.e. cummings, Simone de Beauvoir, William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Allen Ginsberg, Ernest Hemingway, Jack Kerouac, Sinclair Lewis, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Arthur Miller, Anais Nin, Eugene O'Neill, J.D, Salinger, Upton Sinclair, John Steinbeck, Dylan Thomas, Orson Welles and Thornton Wilder.
In "Ghostly Gotham: New York City's Haunted History," Henrietta Chumley's supposed after-death antics are described, including her dislike of a new video game.
And New York magazine relates this story:On September 11, 2001, when Chumley's lost twelve of its firemen employees, the jukebox, though unplugged, played a song that assured, "they're on their way to paradise." Some believe they've returned during 9/11 anniversaries ever since.
April 5, 2007 02:43 PM in Architecture, Downtown, Drinkology, History
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