Maxwell's Plum was a bar at 1181 First Avenue (64th and 1st Avenue) in

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 ...

. A 1988 New York Times article described it as a "flamboyant restaurant and singles bar that, more than any place of its kind, symbolized two social revolutions of the 1960s – sex and food". Owned by Warner LeRoy, it closed abruptly on July 10, 1988. It opened on April Fool’s Day, April, 1, 1966 by Warner LeRoy, son of

Mervyn LeRoy Mervyn LeRoy (; October 15, 1900 – September 13, 1987) was an American film director and producer. In his youth he played juvenile roles in vaudeville and silent film comedies. During the 1930s, LeRoy was one of the two great practitioners of ...

the Hollywood producer ('' Wizard of Oz'', '' Mister Roberts'', ''

Quo Vadis ''Quō vādis?'' (, ) is a Latin phrase meaning "Where are you marching?". It is also commonly translated as "Where are you going?" or, poetically, "Whither goest thou?" The phrase originates from the Christian tradition regarding Saint Pete ...

''), it was initially part of his theater, providing a cafe with good wine lists and hamburgers for the 1960s swinging singles crowd. It became a favorite gathering spot and within a few years the theater was closed in 1969 to expand the cafe with a luxury dining room reminiscent of Maxim’s in Paris. Patrons enjoyed Maxwell’s Plum mixed experience of a boulevard café or a second floor majestic restaurant that overlooked the first floor singles' bar. Maxwell's Plum rose rapidly to be one of the city's top venues grossing over $5 million by the 1970s, equivalent to $20 million when adjusted for inflation, with alcohol sales contributing more than a third. It was famous for its eclectic menu ranging from chili and hamburgers to wild boar and caviar, along with its first class service without snobbery and "outlandish

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

decor – kaleidoscopic stained-glass ceilings and walls, Tiffany lamps galore, a menagerie of ceramic animals, etched glass and cascades of crystal." Warner Leroy had two original Toulouse Lautrec paintings in frames screwed into the hall wall leading from mezzanine to upstairs toilets. Two large Tiffany lamps hung over the 2 large tables on the mezzanine level, three steps up from the floor level bar & sitting area. This was during the 1st phase of Maxwell’s Plum. It soon served over 1,200 customers a day, including such celebrities as

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most ...

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one o ...

Bill Blass William Ralph Blass (June 22, 1922 – June 12, 2002) was an American fashion designer. He was the recipient of many fashion awards, including seven Coty Awards and the Fashion Institute of Technology's Lifetime Achievement Award (1999). Early ...

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers List ...

and

Warren Beatty Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker, whose career spans over six decades. He was nominated for 15 Academy Awards, including four for Best Actor, four for Best Picture, two for Best Director, ...

, and becoming what ''

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 ...

'' called "a favorite watering hole for the 'swinging singles' set." Other celebrities included: Myrna Loy, Buddy Hackett, NY Giants football players (who sat on 2nd floor area), and Vince Edwards (who played Dr Ben Casey). A second location opened in 1981

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, at a cost of $7 million, then soon closed. LeRoy built Potomac, a similarly themed 850-seat restaurant in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, the largest in the city's history, which also closed soon after opening at a cost of $9 million. LeRoy closed the Plum in 1988 when he sold the First Avenue building. In January 1989 the furnishings and contents of Maxwell's Plum were auctioned off. At the auction, the

Tribeca Grill Tribeca Grill is a New American restaurant located at 375 Greenwich Street (at Franklin Street) in Tribeca, Manhattan, in New York City, co-owned by Robert De Niro and Drew Nieporent. Celebrity investors include Bill Murray, Sean Penn, Christophe ...

acquired the Plum’s large island bar.

References

{{Restaurants in San Francisco Defunct restaurants in New York City Restaurants established in 1966 Restaurants disestablished in 1988 1966 establishments in New York City Art Nouveau architecture in New York City Art Nouveau restaurants 1988 disestablishments in New York (state) Restaurants in San Francisco