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Drowning in a Dry Town

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Drowning in a Dry Town Drowning in a At the teeming The speakeasy The Marlborough Fred and Adele By January 16, 1920, Club Durant was outdoor market Dickerman’s County House, a swanky Astaire could be found 80 percent of the booze one of the rowdiest Paddy’s, home Fair Club had a rustic speakeasy with silver dancing some nights at stored in the cellars of clubs around, with Dry Town winemakers would theme—haystacks, leather banquettes, was a The Trocadero. 35 E. the Union Club had entertainment purchase lugs from picket fences, and favorite of Noël Coward, 53rd St., nr. Park Ave. been transferred to including “a tap dancer California. You could square dances. 54 E. who was known to members’ homes. and monologist,” a make 200 gallons a 9th St., nr. Broadway. enjoy the Muscovite Fifth Ave. at 51st St. “cakewalking singer,” year for your own use, duckling. 15 E. 61st St., and a “musical clown.” Where Prohibition-era although “your own” nr. Madison Ave. 58th St., nr. Broadway. New Yorkers got drunk. was rarely accurate. Ninth Ave., from 35th St. to 42nd St. The Central Park Casino was Mayor There were Jimmy Walker’s 38 speakeasies on favorite playpen. 52nd Street alone. In Central Park, nr. 72nd St. entrance. Making wine at Behind the plaster- Racketeer (and Opened in 1925 home was permitted, board in the upstairs Cotton Club owner) and financed with so every fall, California party room of the Owney Madden’s federal funds, the vineyards loaded now-closed Beatrice $1.5 million “cereal Bridge Whist Club Jack Bleeck’s Artists thousands of tons Inn, a low door leads beverage” brewery was a setup to gather and Writers Club was of lugs, or crates of to an alley off Eighth was repeatedly raided incriminating evidence a popular place for the The Cotton grapes, into boxcars Avenue—likely a by Feds who smelled about bootleggers. artistic crowd. Club (644 Lenox headed east. The speakeasy escape ale in the air (though 14 E. 44th St., nr. 213 W. 40th St., nr. Ave., at 142nd St.) Pennsylvania Railroad route. Ironically, one charges were inevitably Madison Ave. Seventh Ave. expanded its Jersey of the violations that dropped). 262-266 practiced an especially City freight terminal shuttered the club last Tenth Ave., nr. 26th St. bizarre form of to accommodate the April was the lack of segregation: all-black Merry-Go-Round, neighborhood, all- surge (about 30,000 fire exits. 285 W. 12th 146-148 E. 56th St. boxcars in 1928). St., nr. W. 4th St. black entertainment, all-white clientele. Leon-Eddie’s, But at the Catagonia 18 W. 52nd St. Club (166 W. 133rd The proprietor of the St., nr. Lenox Ave.), Golden Swan (a.k.a. also in Harlem, blacks the Hell Hole), a dive and whites mingled where Eugene O’Neill comfortably. regularly got sloshed, In 1922, bootlegger, The Wing Club briefly closed his bar in taxicab racketeer, and was a favorite hangout 1920, only to reopen it famed mobster Larry for pilots. 8 W. 52nd as a “drug store,” which The Stork Rest, Fay opened the El Fey St., nr. Fifth Ave. was technically allowed 51st St. at Park Ave. Club (123 W. 45th St., to carry alcohol. nr. Sixth Ave.). Leo, He hired Mary Louise W. 4th St. at Sixth Ave. 154 W. 13th St. Cecilia “Texas” Guinan Larry Fay spent as his hostess and $100,000 to renovate mistress of ceremonies. a mansion on East 56th She became known Street for his last club, as “Queen of the Night the Casa Blanca. He Clubs” and went on was shot there on New to open many more, Year’s Day 1933, by a An explosion including the 300 disgruntled doorman. from the home still Club (151 W. 54th St., 33 W. 56th St., Weeks before of a grocery importer nr. Seventh Ave.), the nr. Fifth Ave. Prohibition was put The Hollywood, Salon Royale (310 into effect, An unidentified caused a fire in his The ‘21’ club Franklin site of the “Hip Flask W. 58th St., nr. Eighth — speakeasy on Water West 11th Street installed an elaborate Delano Roosevelt Raid.” Broadway at Ave.), and the Club then the assistant Street converted a apartment, killing his engineering system 48th St. Argonaut (151 W. secretary of the Navy— bowling alley into a infant son. in its sub-basement In 1926, theater 54th St., nr. Seventh had four cases of Old 100-foot bar. meant to destroy owners Lee and J. J. Ave.). Her famous line: Reserve delivered to alcohol in the event of Shubert invited staff “Hello, suckers!” his townhouse. 49 E. a raid. This became the from the famous 65th St., nr. Park Ave. subject of lore when, in Paris nightclub Chez By 1923, from the Schapiro’s, a When novelist The Ha-Ha Club, the fifties, construction Fysher to open a Gulf of Maine to the tip kosher winery, sold Dawn Powell 134 W. 52nd St. Meyer Lansky of Florida—and visible sacramental wine threw parties at her launched his workers expanding the Manhattan outpost in off the Rockaways—an to anyone who would apartment on East 9th bootlegging business 53rd Street branch of the basement of the enormous fleet of Under the auspices sign up to join a Street, she was known from the car-and- the Public Library were Century Theatre. old freighters, tramp of the Menorah synagogue as they to fill her aquarium truck-rental operation said to have found that Gertrude Vanderbilt steamers, and other Wine Company, made their purchases. with gin. 35 E. 9th St., he ran in a garage the soil still reeked of Whitney attended the ships, known as Rum a local olive-oil dealer, 126 Rivington St., nr. Broadway underneath the booze. 21 W. 52nd St., opening. 62nd St. at Row, lay at permanent Nathan Musher, nr. Essex St. Williamsburg Bridge. nr. Fifth Ave. Central Park W. anchor just outside imported 750,000 the three-mile limit. gallons of fortified These vessels remained Málaga wine—which immobile for months he had certified as A New Yorker at a time, serving as kosher and sold reviewer called Black PHOTOGRAPHS: BROWN BROTHERS floating warehouses (PADDY’S, ARTISTS AND WRITERS to “rabbis” with Bottom a “dull dump” of CLUB, MADDEN); BETTMANN/CORBIS for a second network of sacramental-wine a speakeasy, suggesting (HOLLYWOOD, CENTRAL PARK CASINO); smugglers who brought AP (POWELL, ROOSEVELT); GRANGER permits (and names like “you would have to be in COLLECTION (GUINAN); UNDERWOOD the goods ashore. Patrick Houlihan and just the right slumming ARCHIVES (SCHAPIRO’S); COURTESY OF ‘21’ CLUB; OSSIE LEVINESS/NY DAILY James Maguire). 110 mood.” 154 W. 56th St., NEWS/GETTY IMAGES (LANSKY); Bowery, nr. Grand St. nr. Sixth Ave. FRANK DRIGGS COLLECTION/GETTY IMAGES (COTTON CLUB); MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK (CARDS) 36 new york | may 3, 2010 Map by Jacob Thomas may 3, 2010 | new york 37.
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