Chumley's was a historic

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

and former speakeasy at 86 Bedford Street, between Grove and Barrow Streets, in the West Village neighborhood of

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. It was established in 1922 by the

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

activist Leland Stanford Chumley, who converted a former blacksmith's shop near the corner of Bedford and Barrow Streets into a

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

-era drinking establishment. The speakeasy became a favorite spot for influential writers, poets, playwrights, journalists, and activists, including members of the Lost Generation and the

Beat Generation The Beat Generation was a literary subculture movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the post-war era. The bulk of their work was published and popularized by Silent Generatio ...

movements. After a major renovation, it re-opened in October 2016 as a reservations-only dinner restaurant, but closed in March 2020 as a result of the New York City Coronavirus lockdown, and a permanent closure was announced in July 2020.

History

Some features remain from Chumley's Prohibition-era history. Notably, the Barrow Street entrance has no exterior sign, being located at the end of a nondescript courtyard ("The Garden Door"), while the Bedford Street entrance, which opens to the sidewalk, is also unmarked. Inside, Chumley's is still equipped with the trap doors and secret stairs that composed part of its elaborate subterfuge. It is also rumored that the term " 86" originated when an unruly guest was escorted out of the Bedford St. door, which held the address "86 Bedford St." A different version referencing Chumley's is offered in Jef Klein's book ''The History and Stories of the Best Bars of New York'': "When the cops would very kindly call ahead before a rohibition-eraraid, they'd tell the bartender to '86' his customers, meaning they should exit via the 86 Bedford door, while the police would come to the Pamela Court entrance." A plaque at the tavern, dated September 22, 2000, and placed by Friends of Libraries USA, stated that Chumley's has been placed on a Literary Landmarks Register and goes on to describe Chumley's as:

A celebrated haven frequented by poets, novelists and playwrights, who helped define twentieth century American literature. These writers include
Willa Cather Willa Sibert Cather (; born Wilella Sibert Cather; December 7, 1873 – April 24, 1947) was an American writer known for her novels of life on the Great Plains, including ''O Pioneers!'', '' The Song of the Lark'', and ''My Ántonia''. In 1923, ...
,
E.E. Cummings Edward Estlin Cummings, who was also known as E. E. Cummings, e. e. cummings and e e cummings (October 14, 1894 - September 3, 1962), was an American poet, painter, essayist, author and playwright. He wrote approximately 2,900 poems, two autobi ...
, Theodore Dreiser,
William Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer known for his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, based on Lafayette County, Mississippi, where Faulkner spent most of ...
, Ring Lardner,
Edna St. Vincent Millay Edna St. Vincent Millay (February 22, 1892 – October 19, 1950) was an American lyrical poet and playwright. Millay was a renowned social figure and noted feminist in New York City during the Roaring Twenties and beyond. She wrote much of he ...
,
Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of realism, earlier ...
, John Dos Passos, and
John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. (; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer and the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature winner "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social ...
.

Posted on the walls of Chumley's were the covers of books supposedly worked on there. Owing to its historical significance, Chumley's is a stopping-place for various literary tours. Reportedly, Edna St. Vincent Millay was not only a patron but an occasional bartender. Chumley's was closed after the chimney in its dining room collapsed on April 5, 2007.

Rebuilding and reopening (2012-2020)

An article in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' of December 31, 2012 detailed the rebuilding process. The building that housed Chumley's was linked to four others, all damaged since the wall collapse in 2007. Several buildings were completed and became condominiums. The space that housed Chumley's needed to obtain a new permit before it could re-open as a bar. After extensive renovation, Chumley's officially re-opened on October 18, 2016 as a reservations-only dinner restaurant featuring upscale bar food and " mixology" drinks. The dining room was about 10% smaller in height and width than it had been prior, because of the extent of the damage done by the collapse, and the "Garden Door" was permanently closed. The new owner was Alessandro Borgognone, who also owned the nearby Sushi Nakazawa."Krader, Kate (October 18, 2016
"The Reborn Chumley’s Speakeasy Has a Burger Worthy of Hemingway"
'' Bloomberg''

Closure (2020-2021)

TimeOut Time-out, Time Out, or timeout may refer to: Time * Time-out (sport), in various sports, a break in play, called by a team * Television timeout, a break in sporting action so that a commercial break may be taken * Timeout (computing), an enginee ...

noted that in its five-year run, it was "well regarded and stayed popular." Chumley’s was closed on March 22, 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in New York City The first case of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City was confirmed on March 1, 2020, though later research showed that the novel coronavirus had been circulating in New York City since January, with cases of community transmission confirme ...

. After some months of lockdown, a permanent closure was announced in July 2020. The contents were scheduled for auction by A. J. Wilner Auctions on July 29, 2020; this date was changed to April of 2021. It remained closed in October 2021.

In popular culture

*Chumley's was fictionalized as "Cleary's" in the 1943

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

'' The Seventh Victim'', set in Greenwich Village. *Chumley's was mentioned in '' Mad Men'' (Season 1, Episode 7, "Red in the Face" and Season 4, Episode 7, "Christmas Comes but Once a Year") as a place where the staff were going for after-work drinks. *Chumley's was mentioned in the television series '' Elementary"''(Season 3, Episode 14, "The Female of Species"). When Sherlock determines that a suspect evades police surveillance by using an old tunnel that was underneath the floor of the suspect's apartment, on the other side of that tunnel was the 86 Bedford St. door to Chumley's. Sherlock also explains the origins of the term "86".

References

External links

{{commonscat, Chumley's 86 Bedford Street
Photos
at ''

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

'' magazine Drinking establishments in Greenwich Village Defunct drinking establishments in Manhattan Speakeasies