McGillin's Olde Ale House

Last updated

McGillin's Olde Ale House
Company type Small business
IndustryRestaurant
Founded1860
Headquarters1310 Drury Street,
Key people
  • Christopher and Mary Ellen Spaniak Mullins, owners
  • Christopher Mullins, Jr., general manager
ProductsFood and beverage to be consumed on the premises
Number of employees
approx 25-50 (worldwide)
Website mcgillins.com

McGillin's Olde Ale House is a tavern in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Opened in 1860, McGillin's is the oldest drinking establishment in the city. It is located on Drury Street, an alley connecting 13th Street and South Juniper Street, between Chestnut and Sansom streets, in Center City. [1] [2]

Contents

History

19th century

The interior of McGillin's Olde Ale House in September 2017 Interior of McGillin's Olde Ale House.jpg
The interior of McGillin's Olde Ale House in September 2017
Food and beer at McGillin's Olde Ale House in May 2017 Food & beer at McGillin's Olde Ale House.jpg
Food and beer at McGillin's Olde Ale House in May 2017

Initially called The Bell in Hand, the famous pub opened its doors in 1860 in the home of Irish immigrant William "Pa" McGillin, the owner and operator of the establishment. It was nicknamed McGillin's by those who frequented the establishment, and the bar took on the title as its official name.

20th century

"Pa" McGillin operated the establishment until his death in 1901. Then his wife Catherine, known as "Ma" McGillin continued running the business, which had grown to encompass the oyster house next door as well as the remainder of the McGillin's house, displacing her 13 children. "Ma" ran the restaurant until her own death in 1937, at age 90. [2] [3]

After Ma's death, the tavern was run by her daughter, Mercedes McGillin Hooper, until 1958, when she sold it to Henry Spaniak and Joe Shepaniak, brothers and experienced bartenders, who used different spellings of their last names.

Since 1993, the bar has been owned by Henry's daughter, Mary Ellen Spaniak Mullins, and her husband Chris Mullins. Their son, Christopher Mullins, Jr., also helps run the day-to-day operations. [2] [3]

The ceramic tile floor of the main floor, though not original to the bar, was installed by "Pa" McGillin because he was "tired of replacing the wooden floors because of wear and tear from workers' boots. William got the idea from a local butcher shop—little wear and tear, easy to clean." [3]

There is a ship bell and a cow bell behind the bar which the bartenders ring when they get a great tip. They also ring it to "gong" or "boo" a bad karaoke singer. During a Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia 76ers, Philadelphia Union, or Philadelphia Flyers game, it can be expected that the bell will be rung when the home team scores.

21st century

In 2002, the political website PoliticsPA named it to their list of restaurants frequented by politicians. [4]

In 2007, the national trade magazine Nightclub and Bar included McGillin's in its Editors' Choice Top 100 bars and clubs in the United States. The list is based on annual revenue, effective marketing and advertising, uniqueness to market and other factors. [5] Many media outlets have called McGillin's one of America's most authentic Irish pubs in the nation, including USA Today , HuffPost , Fodor's, The Daily Meal, MSN, and Orbitz.

In 2013, Gourmet magazine called McGillin's one of the three coolest bars in the United States.

McGillin's Olde Ale House has also become known for its elaborate Christmas decorations during the holiday season, and the bar opened a Holiday Pop-Up Shoppe in November 2023 that sold branded McGillin's merchandise. [6]

Notable paraphernalia

McGillin's has become the home to a sizable collection of historical Philadelphia paraphernalia, including:

See also

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pub</span> Establishment that serves alcoholic drinks

A pub is a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in the late 17th century, to differentiate private houses from those open to the public as alehouses, taverns and inns. Today, there is no strict definition, but CAMRA states a pub has four characteristics:

  1. is open to the public without membership or residency
  2. serves draught beer or cider without requiring food be consumed
  3. has at least one indoor area not laid out for meals
  4. allows drinks to be bought at a bar
<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Wanamaker</span> US Postmaster General and merchant (1838–1922)

John Wanamaker was an American merchant and religious, civic and political figure, considered by some to be a proponent of advertising and a "pioneer in marketing". He served as United States Postmaster General in the Benjamin Harrison administration from 1889 to 1893.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King of Prussia (shopping mall)</span> Shopping mall in Pennsylvania, U.S.

King of Prussia, also referred to as King of Prussia Mall, is a shopping mall located in the community of King of Prussia in Upper Merion Township, Pennsylvania. It is the largest shopping mall in Pennsylvania and the third-largest shopping mall in the United States in terms of gross leasable area. It is an upscale mall with 450 retailers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wanamaker's</span> United States historic place

Wanamaker's, originally known as John Wanamaker Department Store, was one of the first department stores in the United States. Founded by John Wanamaker in Philadelphia in 1861, it was influential in the development of the retail industry including as the first store to use price tags.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese</span> Pub in the City of London

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is a Grade II listed public house at 145 Fleet Street, on Wine Office Court, City of London. Rebuilt shortly after the Great Fire of 1666, the pub is known for its literary associations, with its regular patrons having included Charles Dickens, G. K. Chesterton and Mark Twain.

Strawbridge's, formerly Strawbridge & Clothier, was a department store in the northeastern United States, with stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. The Center City Philadelphia flagship store was, in its day, a gracious urban emporium. The retailer started adding branch stores starting in the 1930s and, by their zenith in the 1980s, enjoyed annual sales of over a billion dollars By the 1990s, Strawbridge's became part of the May Department Stores conglomerate until May's acquisition by Federated Department Stores on August 30, 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Center City, Philadelphia</span> Neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Center City includes the central business district and central neighborhoods of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It comprises the area that made up the City of Philadelphia prior to the Act of Consolidation, 1854, which extended the city borders to be coterminous with Philadelphia County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Center City East, Philadelphia</span> Neighborhood of Philadelphia, PA, US

Center City East is part of the downtown district known as Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The area is generally bounded by Arch Street to the north, Chestnut Street to the south, Juniper Street to the west, and 6th Street to the east. The area serves as one of the major retail centers in the city as well as the home of the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuisine of Philadelphia</span> Popular foods of Philadelphia

The cuisine of Philadelphia was shaped largely by the city's mixture of ethnicities, available foodstuffs and history. Certain foods have become associated with the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exton Square Mall</span> Shopping mall

Exton Square Mall is a shopping mall located in the Exton, Pennsylvania in West Whiteland Township in Chester County, Pennsylvania. The mall features a parking garage and food court. It is located at the crossroads of Chester County at the intersection of U.S. Route 30 Business and Pennsylvania Route 100. The mall is anchored by Macy's and Boscov's retail stores and a Round One Entertainment, an arcade and bowling center. It also contains dozens of smaller stores and a food court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deptford Mall</span> Shopping mall in Deptford New Jersey, US

Deptford Mall is a major shopping mall in Deptford Township in Gloucester County, New Jersey. Owned and managed by Macerich, it is the county's only indoor regional shopping center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moorestown Mall</span> Shopping mall in New Jersey, United States

Moorestown Mall is a shopping mall in Moorestown, New Jersey, owned by Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust. The mall has over 90 stores and is anchored by Boscov's, Regal Cinemas, Turn 7 Liquidators and Cooper University Health Care - Moorestown Campus. Junior anchors are Five Below, HomeSense, Michaels, and Sierra Trading Post, all located in a converted Macy's anchor store.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christiana Mall</span> Shopping mall in Delaware, United States

Christiana Mall is a super-regional shopping mall located between the cities of Newark and Wilmington, Delaware, United States. The single-level enclosed mall is situated at the intersection of Interstate 95 and Delaware Route 1/Delaware Route 7 near the community of Christiana, close to the center of the Northeast megalopolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One South Broad</span> 28-story 472-foot (144 m) office tower in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

One South Broad, also known as the Lincoln-Liberty Building or PNB Building, is a 28-story 472-foot (144 m) office tower in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The art deco tower, designed by architect John Torrey Windrim as an annex for Wanamaker's department store, was completed in 1932. Wanamaker's Men's Store opened in the first seven floors of the building, which is located a block from Wanamaker's main store, and was intended to rival European department stores with its size and selection. In 1952, the Philadelphia National Bank (PNB) bought the building and converted it into offices and banking space. Until 2014, the building's bell tower was decorated on all four sides with PNB's initials in stainless steel 16 feet (4.9 m) tall. Wells Fargo is the main tenant, occupying almost half the building. The former banking space at street level was converted to retail and restaurant space in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherry Street Tavern</span> Restaurant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Cherry Street Tavern is a bar and restaurant at 22nd and Cherry Streets in the Logan Square neighborhood of Philadelphia. It is notable as a local landmark that has operated in the same location since the early 1900s. The bar was bought by local high school football legend John "Tex" Flannery (1922-2007) in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roosevelt Mall</span> Shopping mall in Northeast Philadelphia

Roosevelt Mall is a medium-sized outdoor shopping mall, located along Pennsylvania Route 73 between Bustleton Avenue west end and U.S. Route 1 in the east end, or Rhawnhurst neighborhood, of Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Bell Inn, Nottingham</span> Pub in Nottingham, England

The Bell Inn is a pub in Nottingham, England. Completed from around 1437, it claims, along with Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem and Ye Olde Salutation Inn, to be the oldest pub in the city. In 1982 the pub became a Grade II listed building.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

References

  1. "Philadelphia Nightlife: McGillin's Olde Ale House". New York Times . Archived from the original on January 30, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 "McGillin's Olde Ale House website". mcgillins.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2007.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Interview". antisoc.net. December 31, 2006. Archived from the original on August 8, 2007. Retrieved November 21, 2006.
  4. "2002 Politics PA Restaurant Guide". PoliticsPA . The Publius Group. Archived from the original on February 2, 2003.
  5. "Top 100 2007". Nightclub & Bar Magazine. 2007. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008.
  6. "McGillin's opens new pop-up, selling bar's merch to holiday shoppers". Philly Voice. Archived from the original on November 27, 2023.

39°57′01″N75°09′45″W / 39.95022°N 75.16258°W / 39.95022; -75.16258