21 Club

Last updated

21 Club
21 W 52 St NY.JPG
21 West 52nd Street in 2018
21 Club
Restaurant information
Established1922;102 years ago (1922)
ClosedDecember 11, 2020 (2020-12-11)
Owner(s) Belmond Ltd. (since 1995)
Marshall S. Cogan and Stephen Swid (1985–1995)
Jack Kreindler and Charlie Berns and families (1922–1985)
Head chefSylvain Delpique
Dress codeJacket required, jeans not permitted
Street address21 West 52nd Street
City New York City
State New York
Postal/ZIP Code10019
CountryUnited States
Coordinates 40°45′37.8″N73°58′38.6″W / 40.760500°N 73.977389°W / 40.760500; -73.977389
ReservationsRecommended
Website www.21club.com/

The 21 Club, often simply 21, was a traditional American cuisine restaurant and former prohibition-era speakeasy, located at 21 West 52nd Street in New York City. [1] Prior to its closure in 2020, the club had been active for 90 years, and it had hosted almost every US president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It had a hidden wine cellar where it stored the collections of celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren. [2] One of its signatures were 37 statues of racing jockeys donated by patrons, the uniforms of many painted to match the winning jockeys of horses they owned. [3]

Contents

After being shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic, the establishment announced in December 2020 that it would not reopen "in its current form for the foreseeable future" and was considering how to keep the restaurant a viable operation in the long term.

History

First version and Prohibition

The first version of the club opened in Greenwich Village in 1922, run by cousins Jack Kriendler 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 Frontón. The following year it moved uptown to 42 West 49th Street, changed its name to the Puncheon Club, and became much more exclusive. [4]

In late 1929, to make way for the construction of Rockefeller Center, the club moved to 21 West 52nd Street and changed its name to Jack and Charlie's "21". [5] It opened at that location on January 1, 1930, when it was estimated there were 32,000 speakeasies in New York City. [6] Although raided by police on many occasions during Prohibition, the premises staff had methods to protect the club from the authorities. 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. [7] The bar also included a secret wine cellar, which was accessed through a hidden door [2] in a brick wall which opened into the basement of the building next door (number 19). Though still used as a wine cellar after Prohibition, part of the vault has been remodeled to allow a party of up to 20 guests to dine in private. The club also stored the private wine collections of John F. Kennedy; Richard Nixon; Gerald Ford; Joan Crawford; Elizabeth Taylor; Hugh Carey; Ernest Hemingway; the Nordstrom sisters; Frank Sinatra; Al Jolson; Gloria Vanderbilt; Sophia Loren; Mae West; Aristotle Onassis; Gene Kelly; Gloria Swanson; Judy Garland; Sammy Davis Jr.; and Marilyn Monroe. The bar is mentioned several times in David Niven's memoirs, Bring on the Empty Horses; he was given a job by J+C selling liquor following the end of prohibition, and went there with director John Huston on their return from the war.[ citation needed ]

According to the New York Times, in 1950, when most burgers were the cost of a dime at coffee shops, 21 Club charged $2.75. [6] The prestigious International Debutante Ball, which has presented many daughters and granddaughters of U.S. presidents to high society at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, has hosted its pre-ball parties at 21 Club. [8]

New owners and dress code

In 1985, the Kriendler and Berns families sold their interests in the restaurant to General Felt Industries, a holding company headed by Marshall S. Cogan and Stephen Swid. [9] [10] Ten years later, Cogan and Swid sold the restaurant to Orient-Express Hotels. [11] In 1995 it became part of Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. which in 2014 changed its name to Belmond Ltd. [ citation needed ]

On January 24, 2009, it ended its long-standing policy of requiring men to wear neckties at dinner. Wearing a jacket, however, was still required, [12] and loaner jackets by Michael Kors and Ralph Lauren were available for men to borrow if they had neglected to bring one. [13] In mid-2015, all 37 jockeys were removed for a three-month artist restoration; they returned on October 21, 2015, for a ribbon-cutting. [3]

Pandemic and closure

In March 2020, indoor dining at all New York City restaurants, including 21 Club, ceased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [14] In November 2020, the club's managers stated that it had made the decision to keep the club permanently closed. [15] [16] The signature jockey statues were removed in December 2020. [6] Though New York restaurants were able to reopen briefly later in the year, a second shutdown caused the restaurant to announce on December 11 that it had ceased operations indefinitely and that employees would be terminated in March 2021, citing economic uncertainty. [17] 21 Club was one of many restaurants in New York City that were permanently closed during the pandemic. [18]

On March 9, 2021, the club's 148 mostly unionized employees were officially laid off with a notice filed with the New York Department of Labor. [6] When it closed, it had been active for 90 years, and it had hosted every US president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt excluding George W. Bush. It also had a hidden wine cellar where it stored the collections of individuals such as Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Nixon, and Sophia Loren. [2] LVMH subsidiary Belmond informed TheNew York Times that the restaurant was gone, but that a "distinctive" restaurant might be created instead, saying a month later no "final concept" had been settled on. [15] In November 2021, Eater reported that former employees had been publicly protesting LVMH's decision to close the club, and that the union had been neither offered severance packages or job assurances over around a year, with terms remaining unsettled. [15]

Ambiance and dress code

The Bar Room included a restaurant, a lounge and, as the name implied, a bar. The walls and ceiling of the Bar Room were covered with antique toys and sports memorabilia donated by famous patrons. [19] Perhaps the best known feature of 21 was the line of painted cast iron lawn jockey statues which adorned 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. In 2006, there were 33 jockeys on the exterior of the building, and 2 more inside the doors. [19] [20] New York Magazine wrote "It’s a New York icon, but the midtown stalwart is nevertheless starting to feel like it’s stuck in the past," noting the dress code and decor. [21]

The first of the signature statues of jockeys outside the restaurant had been added in the 1930s after a donation, with more donated by New York families such as the Vanderbilts and Mellons. [22]

Reception

Between 2003 and 2015, the restaurant was a recipient of the Wine Spectator Grand Award. [23] In 2017, Zagat gave it a food rating of 4.3 out of 5. [1]

Ian Fleming described the club as "The best speak-easy in New York" in his 1956 Bond book, Diamonds Are Forever. [24]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speakeasy</span> Establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages; now, retro-style bars

A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, was an illicit establishment that sold alcoholic beverages. The term may also refer to a retro style bar that replicates aspects of historical speakeasies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Windows on the World</span> Defunct restaurant in New York City

Windows on the World was a complex of dining, meeting, and entertainment venues on the top floors of the North Tower of the original World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gallagher's Steakhouse</span> Restaurant in New York, United States

Gallagher's Steakhouse is a steakhouse restaurant at 228 West 52nd Street in the Theater District in Manhattan, New York City. It was founded in November 1927 by Helen Gallagher, a former Ziegfeld girl, and wife of Edward Gallagher (1873–1929), and Jack Solomon, a colorful gambler with a large loyal following from the sporting element. These were the days of Prohibition and Gallagher's was one of the first speakeasy gathering places for gamblers, sports figures, and stars of Broadway. There is now a location in the New York-New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chumley's</span> Historic pub in New York City

Chumley's was a historic pub and former speakeasy at 86 Bedford Street, between Grove and Barrow Streets, in the West Village neighborhood of Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City. It was established in 1922 by the socialist activist Leland Stanford Chumley, who converted a former blacksmith's shop near the corner of Bedford and Barrow Streets into a Prohibition-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 movements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Four Seasons Restaurant</span> Defunct restaurant in New York City

The Four Seasons Restaurant was a New American cuisine restaurant in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City from 1959 to 2019. The Four Seasons operated within the Seagram Building at 99 East 52nd Street for most of its existence, although it relocated to 42 East 49th Street in its final year of operation. The restaurant was themed around the seasons of the year, with menus, decorations, and vegetation that changed every three months. It attracted numerous high-profile personalities and often hosted "power lunches". Despite mixed commentary of the restaurant's food, the Four Seasons was highly popular, winning the James Beard Award many times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Square Cafe</span> Restaurant in New York, United States

Union Square Cafe is an American restaurant featuring New American cuisine with Italian influences, located at 101 E 19th St, in the Union Square neighborhood of the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York. It is owned by the Union Square Hospitality Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Lomonaco</span> American chef

Michael Lomonaco is an American chef, restaurateur, and television personality. He is known as the chef/director for Windows on the World, the restaurant located atop the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The restaurant was destroyed in the September 11 attacks, and all of the staff members who were working in the restaurant at the time of the attack died. Lomonaco survived because he was in the tower's lobby during the attacks and was then evacuated from the building. He later opened Porter House New York, which was named by Esquire one of America's Best New Restaurants in October 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sixteen (restaurant)</span> Restaurant on the sixteenth floor of the Trump International Hotel and Tower, Chicago

Sixteen was an American restaurant on the sixteenth floor of the Trump International Hotel and Tower in the Near North Side community area of Chicago. It was one of three food and dining options in the hotel's room service offering. Sixteen opened in early February 2008, and an adjoining outdoor patio terrace, named The Terrace at T, opened on June 25, 2009 following the completion of the hotel's construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thierry Rautureau</span> American celebrity chef (1958/1959 – 2023)

Thierry Rautureau, nicknamed The Chef in the Hat, was a French-American celebrity chef based in Seattle, Washington. He was also the chef and owner of several former restaurants, including Loulay and Luc, but entered "semi-retired" following his restaurants' difficulties with the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Light Horse Tavern</span> Restaurant in New Jersey, United States

Light Horse Tavern is a restaurant located in Jersey City, New Jersey. Restored from an 1850s tavern, the building served as a speakeasy during Prohibition in the United States. Founders Bill Gray and Ron Smith named the restaurant after Henry Lee III, known as "Light Horse Harry", a historical figure from the American Revolution. Its first chef was Ian Topper-Kapitan; he was replaced in 2007 by Marcos Costas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Per Se (restaurant)</span> Restaurant in Manhattan, New York

Per Se is a New American and French restaurant at The Shops at Columbus Circle, on the fourth floor of the Deutsche Bank Center at 10 Columbus Circle in Manhattan, New York City. It is owned by chef Thomas Keller, and the Chef de Cuisine is Chad Palagi. Per Se has maintained three Michelin stars since the introduction of the New York City Guide in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eleven Madison Park</span> Restaurant in New York City

Eleven Madison Park is a fine dining restaurant located inside the Metropolitan Life North Building at 11 Madison Avenue in the Flatiron District of Manhattan, New York City. Owned by Daniel Humm Hospitality, it has held 3 Michelin stars since 2012, and was ranked first among The World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Brown (mixologist)</span>

Derek Brown is an American entrepreneur, writer, and bartender. He owned the bars Columbia Room, The Passenger, Mockingbird Hill, Eat the Rich, and Southern Efficiency in Washington, D.C. Brown is a Distinguished Fellow at Catholic University's Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship.

Mas (farmhouse) (pronounced as either "mah" or "mahs") was a New American and French restaurant located at 39 Downing Street (between Bedford Street and Varick Street) in the West Village in Manhattan, in New York City. It was established in 2004. Mas closed in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5-8 Club</span> Restaurant in Minneapolis, Minnesota

The 5-8 Club Tavern & Grill is a restaurant in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded in 1928 as a speakeasy, the eatery is one of two Minneapolis establishments that claim to have invented the Juicy Lucy cheeseburger in the 1950s, the other being Matt's Bar. The 5-8 Club also serves its Saucy Sally burger and other dishes including fried cheese curds and onion straws. The restaurant, which has been featured on several Travel Channel TV series, has three additional locations in Minnesota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nostrana (restaurant)</span> Italian restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Nostrana is an Italian restaurant and pizzeria in southeast Portland, Oregon, United States. Cathy Whims opened the restaurant in 2005 and serves as chef and owner. Nostrana serves classic Italian cuisine and has been dubbed "Portland's capital of the Negroni". The restaurant has received a generally positive reception, especially for its pizzas and happy hour menu. In 2018, Whims opened the European wine bar Enoteca Nostrana next door to the restaurant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabriel Kreuther</span> Restaurant in New York, United States

Gabriel Kreuther is a two-Michelin-star restaurant in Manhattan named after its chef and owner, Gabriel Kreuther. It specializes in modern Alsatian food with other French, German, and American influences.

The Beatrice Inn was a restaurant and former nightclub in New York City. It opened in the 1920s as a speakeasy which became an Italian restaurant from the 1950s. From 2006 to 2009, it was a prominent nightclub but was shut down by law enforcement and reopened as a Spanish restaurant a year later. In 2012, Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter assumed ownership of The Beatrice Inn. Carter sold the business to the restaurant's executive chef Angie Mar in 2016. The restaurant closed in December 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Circa 33</span> Bar and restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Circa 33 was a bar and restaurant in southeast Portland, Oregon's Sunnyside neighborhood, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Picnic House</span> Restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The Picnic House is a restaurant in Portland, Oregon's Park Heathman Hotel, in the United States.

References

  1. 1 2 "Zagat". www.zagat.com.
  2. 1 2 3 Adams, Erika (December 14, 2020). "Midtown Legend 21 Club Shutters After 90-Year Run". Eater .
  3. 1 2 Kilgannon, Corey (October 20, 2015). "Jockeys Return to '21' Club in Manhattan After a Summer Break". The New York Times. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  4. ↑ Fitzpatrick, Kevin C. "Social Scene at "21"". Archived from the original on August 14, 2006. Retrieved August 23, 2006.
  5. ↑ "Charles A. Berns, '21' Brands Head; Original Partner in Jack and Charlie's '21' Dies". The New York Times. February 21, 1971. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Trebay, Guy (March 13, 2021). "The '21' Club Isn't Dead. Yet". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  7. ↑ "21 Club History". Archived from the original on 7 August 2006. Retrieved 23 August 2006.
  8. ↑ Prestige, Elegant. "The top one percent". Elegant Prestige. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  9. ↑ Grimes, William (December 22, 2001). "H. Peter Kriendler, 96, Operator of '21' Club". The New York Times.
  10. ↑ "Adding up the New '21'". New York. June 1, 1987. p. 41.
  11. ↑ "NYC's '21' Club sold to Orient-Express". Nation's Restaurant News, September 25, 1995
  12. ↑ 21club.com FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
  13. ↑ Stapinski, Helene (August 19, 2013). "Dressing Up the Loaner Jacket". The New York Times.
  14. ↑ Ryan, Sutton (March 16, 2020). "Cuomo Announces Tri-State Restaurant and Bar Shutdown Starting Monday Night". ny.eater.com. Eater.
  15. 1 2 3 Adams, Erika (November 19, 2021). "Will 21 Club Return? Its Murky Future Is Splitting Apart the Icon's Union". Eater .
  16. ↑ Passy, Charles (December 13, 2020). "Many New York City Restaurants See Halt of Indoor Dining as Death Blow". Wall Street Journal – via www.wsj.com.
  17. ↑ Gold, Michael (December 11, 2020). "Indoor Dining Will Shut Down in New York City Again". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  18. ↑ Izzo, Christina; Ing, Bao; Sutherland-Namako, Amber (October 29, 2021). "75 notable NYC restaurants and bars that permanently closed since 2020". TimeOut .
  19. 1 2 Morgan, Kaya. "The 21 Club – Manhattan's Most Prestigious Landmark". Archived from the original on August 27, 2006. Retrieved August 23, 2006.
  20. ↑ "About the Jockeys". Archived from the original on October 21, 2006. Retrieved August 23, 2006.
  21. ↑ "21 Club", New York Magazine , February 20, 2019
  22. ↑ McCleary, Kelly; Akbarzai, Sahar (December 12, 2020), "New York City's iconic 21 Club is closing down", CNN
  23. ↑ "'21 Club'". Wine Spectator. January 1, 2015. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  24. ↑ Fleming, Ian. Diamonds Are Forever . Jonathan Cape. p. 63. ISBN   9780230716612.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.