Chumley’s is set to reopen on September 6, 2016, reported Abby Carney in Time Out. Started in 1922 as a speakeasy, the landmark bar has been closed since a wall collapsed in 2007.
The place has been renovated to capture the feeling of the original Chumley’s. The original front door will be there. Chumley’s has never had a sign — that tradition will continue.
Chumley’s has a relationship with Engine 24/Ladder 5, which is located nearby. The former owner put a tribute to FDNY Captain John Drennan, who was killed in the 1994 Watts Street fire. A Chumley’s beer was named for Drennan, and his picture was behind the bar in memoriam. The memorial got bigger when 11 members of 24 and 5 were killed in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
FF Robert Beddia was a firefighter who moonlighted at Chumley’s. He was killed in the 2007 Deutsche Bank fire.
