Long Island City's Shannon Pot to Go Under?
A reader wrote in to tell us that The Shannon Pot, the reliable old tavern and grill in Long Island City, not far from the Court Street subway stop, will be razed, along with the building it's in, in the next months. Taking its place will be, yes, another condo tower.
The Shannon Pot isn't in the top tier when it comes to city dives or Irish pubs, but it's been a dependable presence in the neighborhood for some time, and served as the backdrop of a number "Law & Order" and "Third Watch" episodes. Artists from the nearby P.S. 1 sometimes hang out here on the weekends for a cheap beer, and the lunch trade is brisk with local workers. But mainly this is a local joints.
I can find no history of the building prior to its incarnation as The Shannon Pot. But the whole look of the building tells me its probably been a tavern for many years, and probably functioned under many names. The disused side door tells of an old-fashioned "Ladie's Entrance" that once existed. And there are tin ceilings and a room in back that looks like it may have been a kitchen or part of someone's former apartment.
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6 comments:
I must be a tougher crowd. I had a drink there once, and watchingt the crowd marvelled at how Long Island City was moving directly from industrial wasteland to yuppie condoland, without the usual intervening period of bohemia.
Was there last week and the waitress told me the place has been around since 1962.
Grew up around the corner from here on 45th Road, as did my grandmother. That building and bar go back at least to the 1890's, if not earlier; there's always been a gin mill there.
One time a couple of Grandma's younger brothers met a friend there; the friend had a horse, and the boys tried to bring the horse in our house (or at least into the downstairs kitchen). Great-Grandma put a swift end to that idea!
Thanks for filling in some of the history, folks!
They'll probably open an expensive "vintage" pub when the new building opens
The bar is closed at that location, but they've just moved to the corner of 23rd Street and 44th Drive, right under the 7 train tracks. They took the actual bar and most of the interior decor from the old place, but it's just not the same.
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