Pete’s Tavern: Best Florist Shop Ever.

String Beans? Check. Tulips? Check. Cold Pint of Ale?
Check…Check…Check. Now hold on a minute – why’d I come here again?

Pete’s Tavern is a contender in the ongoing fight for the title of “Oldest Bar in New York City.” While it wasn’t always called Pete’s Tavern, records show that the tavern has been serving liquor since 1864 – possibly as early as 1852.

Oldest or not, Pete’s has endeared itself to many, and unique types of regulars; artists, politicians, celebrities and New York City history buffs.

The Portland Hotel

There was a time when the Gramercy neighborhood was known as “Crommesshie.” Samuel B. Ruggles wasn’t slowed down by this “messhie,” name and nonetheless, he acquired several lots in the area east of Union Square, including one that featured an existing five-story, red brick building dating back to 1829. The area included in the purchase would come to be known as Gramercy Park and that alluded to building, would later house Pete’s Tavern.

In the beginning, and during the early development times of Gramercy Park the building at 129 East 18th Street was the Portland Hotel; a local inn that provided rooms to residents and visitors to the area. In 1852, a grocery and grog shop opened on the first floor of the hotel, becoming the first establishment in the space to serve liquor – whenever trying to pick out the best produce got too stressful, folks could simply turn left and find solace in this neighborhood favorite. A steel cashier cage was added to the back underneath ornate, pressed tin ceilings and gas lamps, and between exposed brick walls.

Portland Gets a Tavern

By the 1860s, the area around Union Square became an entertainment and shopping center. To meet demand, the grocery and grog store became a saloon in 1864 – rock is to scissors as spirits are to groceries.

When that saloon opened on the street level of the Portland Hotel in 1864, a forty-foot, carved bar made of rosewood was installed atop the black and white tiled floors. The bar area featured a few tables and large wooden booths lined along the walls while the back dining room offered additional booths and tables. Gas lamps, including an ornate chandelier that hung over the cashier case, which remains to the right of the bar, lit the entire tavern.

Irish brothers Tom and John Healy purchased the tavern in 1899 and named it Healy’s Café. The brothers made the bar their own and it became a popular hang out for many. In the early 1900s, it became a favorite of Tammany Hall politicians as their headquarters were located just a few blocks south on 14th street. Literary icons also frequented the bar.

William Sydney Porter, also known as O. Henry lived in the neighborhood between 1903 and 1907 and spent quite a bit of time at Healy’s. In fact, the tavern (called “Kenealy’s” in his words) appeared in his short story, The Lost Blend about a shy, lovelorn barkeep – talk about a cliché gone wrong. Reportedly, he even wrote his famed Gift of the Magi, an ironic love story about a couple who sold their prized possessions to buy Christmas gifts for each other, while drinking in one of the wooden booths. Rumor has it that Ludwig Bemelmans, author of the beloved children’s book series Madeline also spent time at Healy’s.

The “Florist”

When Prohibition went into effect in 1920, Healy’s disguised itself as a flower shop. Those in the know would enter the tavern through a secret door hidden at the back of a floral cooler – those who didn’t know, bought flowers.

Since the Healy brothers had a solid relationship with Tammany Hall (many of the members were regulars during Prohibition), the café managed to get through the entire dry period without being targeted by Prohibition officers. Meanwhile, Joseph Kennedy, the infamous bootlegger and father of to-be President John F. Kennedy, provided liquor to the Healy brothers directly.

It’s Pete’s

Just prior to the end of Prohibition, in 1932, Pete D’Belles purchased Healy’s and the moniker was spun once again, to Pete’s Tavern. Pete changed little else; the interior remained the same and the celebrities and influential Tammany Hall regulars kept coming.

Prohibition ended soon as did the minimal effort of making the place look like a floral shop. In 1938, Pete added the ever-popular outdoor café. A number of tables were set out, hugging the outer edges of the first floor bar. In 1964, the tavern signed a lease with the landlord of 66 Irving Place to earn full rights to the area immediately around the tavern.

Today…

Pete’s Tavern has changed hands a couple of times since Pete D’Belles. Jim Frawley purchased the bar in 1961 and then sold it to Bruce Friedman who runs the tavern today. The rosewood bar, tin roof and tiled floor are still original however, and in-tact. That old lamp that still hangs above the cashier cage features bulbs that were hand blown and crafted back in the 1880s – symbolizing a tradition of craftsmanship within, as well as behind the bar.

The crew at the tavern still welcomes celebrities to the bar – unless of course any particular celebrity is smashed beyond the idea of welcoming. Photos of famous faces who’ve dined at the tavern adorn the exposed brick walls around the establishment.

Visitors can have a taste of Pete’s 1864 Ale and can also order some of the best pub-fare in Gotham – triangulated, fried pieces of mozzarella top the list of ‘drinking snacks’ in the city. The location remains a popular spot and a good place to eat before a show at nearby Irving Plaza.

While not an officially designated as a New York City landmark, it is included in the Gramercy Park Historic District. And for many Pete’s regulars, it is – and will always be – a landmark.

Confetti

CASA MONO - There's a phrase that suggests you don't put all your eggs in one basket. Well, so long as they're duck eggs with mojama and black truffles from Casa Mono, it doesn't matter – they’ll all end up in the same basket, or plate. This Catalan tapas eatery offers a selection of over 600 wines and playful dishes like Quail with Toasted Quince and Root Beer Salsify. Adios, hunger. 52 Irving Pl, (17th St.), Gramercy (212) 253-2773

DARYL ROTH THEATRE - Somewhere in the mind of Daryl Roth there was an idea to turn the Union Square Savings Bank into a theater that dons his name. The high ceilings of this landmark building, built in the 1840's, is the perfect space for the performers of Fuerza Bruta to encourage spectators to "look up" and enjoy the acrobatic spectacle that's been drawing crowds since 2007. 101 E 15th St. (Union Square East), Union Square (212) 375-1110