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P.J. Hanley's—Brooklyn's Oldest Bar—Closed Without A Word
By
Lauren Evans
Published Mar 26, 2013
Modified Mar 26, 2013
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By
Lauren Evans
Published Mar 26, 2013
Modified Mar 26, 2013
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Despite the (understandable) hubbub surrounding news that P.J. Hanley's—generally accepted as the oldest bar in Brooklyn—would be closing its doors this month, it seems the 139-year-old watering hole served its last beer on March 17th with surprisingly little fanfare.
“I thought it was going to be a bigger deal,” one forlorn drinker told the Observer's Transom blog, and considering the lore surrounding the place (rumor has it that Al Capone met his wife there), we'd have expected the same.
According to a February article in Crain's, Hanley's owner James McGown bought the bar in 2005 for $480,000. He filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on February 22nd. But chin up! The Court Street space is expected to reopen as a Belgian beer garden in May, with a new name and a series of "improvements" (we're guessing valet stroller parking and iPad charging stations).
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carroll gardens
pj hanley's
Lauren Evans
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