Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Union Hall Wins Over the Board at Borough Hall
By
Billy Parker
Published May 15, 2008
Modified Jun 30, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Billy Parker
Published May 15, 2008
Modified Jun 30, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Photo by Bryan Bruchman.
At last night's full Community Board Six Meeting in Borough Hall, passionate outcries were heard once again arguing over the motion to recommend against the renewal of Union Hall's liquor license. However, this time the loud voices were not coming from angry neighbors, but rather Board members themselves, speaking one after the next in favor of the Union Hall's continued presence in Park Slope. The CB6 not only rejected the motion put forth last week by Board member (and Brazen Head bar owner) Lou Sones, but overwhelmingly passed a new motion to take an official stance supporting Union Hall's liquor license renewal when it comes up before the SLA on May 31st.
Photos by Bryan Bruchman.
Jon Crow was on hand watching the dissolution of his longstanding smear campaign against the bar--including a fake 911 call caught on tape and put up on You Tube. That video was cited by Board Members who said that angry neighbors "have not been fair to the owners" and "are out for blood." Crow's presence at the meeting was limited to passing a note to Sones during the debate and then standing at the meeting's end and shouting "I demand my time!" only to be soundly rejected by the Board.
Union Hall's staff and a fair amount of its clientele showed up in force this time around: cheering loudly as they watched the tables turn in their favor, booing Sones and the emotional statement he read about both him and his bar being "threatened", and finally staging a victory celebration on Borough Hall's steps after the vote with picket signs in hand as they cheered Union Hall's owners upon their exit out of the proceedings.
The Union Hall owners told Gothamist that not only would they continue to reach out to their neighbors by now holding open forum monthly meetings, but will also in all likelihood concede to the residents' biggest demand, that the bar shut its doors earlier on weekday nights. The owners said that they felt the complaint was more than fair and simply wished for the ability to make their own hours instead of having it dictated to them as part of a new license. Their efforts have been documented thus far here and here.
Tagged
borough hall
cb6
community board
Jon Crow
liquor license
neighbors
noise
Old Man Crow
union hall
venue
Billy Parker
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Why LCD Soundsystem's 'New York, I Love You' is still the city's most honest anthem
The song continues to resonate 20 years after its release, even showing up in movies and TV to convey people’s mixed feelings toward the city.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 30, 2026
Would you live on a Halloween block? These Hackensackers live for it.
A guillotine, killer clowns, clownfish: They've got it all on Clinton Place.
By
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Would you live on a Halloween block? These Hackensackers live for it.
A guillotine, killer clowns, clownfish: They've got it all on Clinton Place.
By
James Ramsay
Owl pellets and period equity: What's happening at NYC's public libraries this November
By
Alec Hamilton
How the Village Halloween Parade keeps its soul
By
Hannah Frishberg
'You Can See Everything' … as long as you go to Staten Island
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .