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Chumley's: Secure, But Closed For A While
By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 7, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 7, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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The Department of Buildings says that 86 Bedford Street, aka the building that houses the pub and former speakeasy during the Prohibition era, is secure as contractors have "contractors shored up the building". A construction crew was doing interior work at Chumley's - without a permit - and a chimney collapsed, imperiling the wall and causing residents in the building and nearby to be evacuated.
The broker representing the building owners tells the NY Times Chumley's will reopen in 30-60 days. And everyone has been reminiscing about the pub's history, but we found this WNYC piece telling:
REPORTER: The onetime speakeasy dating back to 1922 was a favorite among writers such as John Steinbeck and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Thomas Hoover lives across the street from Chumley's and is a writer himself.
HOOVER: I moved to the Village 30 years ago because of all of the literary tradition. Only I didn't realize that was another generation ago. There's nothing now but T-shirt shops where there used to be these cafes of people writing great American novels. So I got here a little bit late.
Here's a PDF of the real estate listing for 86 Bedford Street (it does disclose "potential structural issues"). Besides Chumley's, which has a lease until 2086 (with 3% annual rent increases), there are two free market and one rent-stabilized apartment.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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