01/17/2025
In remembering Prohibition going into law today back in 1920, we travel to Manhattan's Greenwich Village to a speakeasy called Chumley's.
It was established in 1922 by a socialist activist named Leland Stanford Chumley, who converted the former blacksmith's shop situated near the corner of Bedford and Barrow Streets into a Prohibition-era drinking establishment. Patrons had to "speak easy" in order to not be detected by the police.
Chumley's became a favorite spot for influential writers, poets, playwrights, journalists and activists.
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 Covid lockdowns. A permanent closure was announced in July 2020. The building and energy of this historical detail is very much still there.
π· 2012 by L. Romero