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Freddy's Bar Closes Amid Relocation Rumors
By
John Del Signore
Published May 3, 2010
Modified May 3, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published May 3, 2010
Modified May 3, 2010
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Saturday night was the last night of revelry at the beloved Prospect Heights dive Freddy's Bar & Backroom, which had become an unofficial headquarters for the anti-Atlantic Yards protests. The closing party appears to have been quite the rager, with "speeches by bartenders professing love for each other and fake marriage proposals, a constant stream of women dancing on the bar, and a fire dancer that twirled flaming torches," NY Drinker reports.
Though patrons and employees had vowed to chain themselves to the bar to prevent its demolition, it was decided that "partying is just more fun, and seems like a more fitting way to say goodbye." Unfortunately, rumors are swirling that a plan to relocate to Union Street and 4th Avenue has "fallen through." On the Freddy's website, manager Donald O'Finn mentioned that he was negotiating for the space and that the URL and email would remain the same, "Freddy's is not merely a building on a street corner, it is a grand idea. Freddy's Bar has been the culmination of everything I am and everything I've ever wanted this bar to be. I could not be any more proud of our widely creative community."
Tagged
Atlantic Yards
brooklyn
eminent domain
freddy's bar and backroom
prospect heights
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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