21 Club

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21 Club

Restaurant Information
Established 1922
Head chef John Greeley
Street address 21 West 52nd Street
City New York City
State New York
Zip 10019
Country United States
Website www.21club.com


The 21 Club is a restaurant and former prohibition-era speakeasy, located at 21 West 52nd Street in New York City.

Contents

[edit] History

The first version of the club opened in Greenwich Village in 1922, run by cousins Jack Kreindler and Charlie Berns. It was originally a small speakeasy known as the Red Head. In 1925 the location was moved to a basement on Washington Place and its name was changed to the Fronton. The following year it moved uptown to West 49th Street, changed its name to the Puncheon Club, and became much more exclusive.[1] In 1929, to make way for the construction of Rockefeller Center, the club moved to its current location and changed its name to "Jack and Charlie's 21".

Although raided by police numerous times during Prohibition, the two were never caught. As soon as a raid began, a system of levers was used to tip the shelves of the bar, sweeping the liquor bottles through a chute and into the city's sewers.[2] The bar also included a secret wine cellar, which was accessed through a hidden door in a brick wall which opened into the basement of the building next door (number 19). Though still used as a wine cellar today, part of the vault has been remodeled to allow a party of up to 20 guests to dine in private. 21 also stores the private wine collections of such celebrities as Presidents Gerald Ford, John F. Kennedy, and Richard Nixon, Elizabeth Taylor, Hugh Carey, Ernest Hemingway, Ivan Boesky, The Nordstrom Sisters, Frank Sinatra, Al Jolson, Gloria Vanderbilt, Sophia Loren, Mae West, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Aristotle Onassis, Gene Kelly, Gloria Swanson, Judy Garland, Sammy Davis, Jr, and Marilyn Monroe. At Christmas time the regulars received silk scarves decorated with a motif of various unique club insignia. Siggie Nordstrom had a collection of several dozen of these she'd received through the years.

Every President since Roosevelt has dined at 21, and the restaurant has been frequented by so many celebrities that many of them have favorite tables.[3]

The kitchen is now currently headed by chef John Greeley.

[edit] Expansion Plans

It is owned by Orient-Express Hotels Ltd.. In November 2007, the company announced acquisition and plans to raze the Donnell Library branch directly north of the 21 Club on 53rd Street (Manhattan) and build a $220 million 11-story, 150-room hotel that would be connected to the 21 Club and would be the flagship for a new "21" brand of hotels. The library branch would be a tenant in the new building occupying part of the first floor and below street levels when the new building opens which is scheduled for 2011.[4]

[edit] Features

The Bar Room includes a restaurant, a lounge and, as the name implies, a bar. The walls and ceiling of the Bar Room are covered with antique toys and sports memorabilia donated by famous patrons.[5] Perhaps the most famous feature of 21 is the line of painted castiron jockey statues which adorns the balcony above the entrance. In the 1930s, some of the affluent customers of the bar began to show their appreciation by presenting 21 with jockeys painted to represent the racing colors of the stables they owned. There are a total of 33 jockeys on the exterior of the building, and 2 more inside the doors.[5][6]

[edit] In popular culture

[edit] References

  1. ^ Kevin C. Fitzpatrick. Social Scene at "21". Retrieved on 23 August, 2006.
  2. ^ 21 Club History. Retrieved on 23 August, 2006.
  3. ^ {{cite web|title=Seen at 21|url=http://www.21clOrient-Express Hotels Ltd.
  4. ^ New York Public Library’s Donnell Branch to Share Space With Hotel - New York Times - November 7, 2007
  5. ^ a b Kaya Morgan. The 21 Club - Manhattan's Most Prestigious Landmark. Retrieved on 23 August, 2006.
  6. ^ About the Jockeys. Retrieved on 23 August, 2006.

[edit] External links

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