Back in the day, the Back Room was referred to as "The Back of Ratner's," and was known as the meeting place for many famous gangsters including Bugsy Siegel, Lucky Luciano, and Meyer Lansky. Siegel became a bootlegger during the Prohibition era, or in other words he aided the illegal transportation of alcohol. He is also partially responsible for the development of the Las Vegas Strip and was infamous for being part of organized crime and the American Mafia. Luciano established the first Commission, or governing body of the Mafia, and is known for splitting the Mafia in New York City into five different families. Lansky worked closely with Luciano and is also known for his worldwide gambling empire. Speakeasies like the Back Room provided fun and a chance for regular citizens to unwind, but were also frequented by many mobsters and people generally feared during the time period.
The Back Room has maintained its authentic decor and demeanor since its opening in the 1920's. A secret room hidden behind a bookshelf in the bar remains today. The bartenders still serve drinks in tea cups and coffee mugs as they did back then. The reasoning behind this was that in case anyone against prohibition should stumble into the bar, people drinking alcohol could say they were simply enjoying a nice cup of coffee. There is also an emergency exit that customers could use in the event that the bar was discovered and their cover was blown. The hidden entrance used to access the Back Room has been preserved and is still the only way of accessing the speakeasy.
Sources:
http://www.backroomnyc.com/the-backroom-bar
http://pix11.com/2014/11/03/hidden-new-york-roaring-20s-come-alive-at-secretive-speakeasy/
Nice find Jenny!
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you know the answer (and don't worry if you don't!) but do you know about how many people know the password to get in at this moment? It's really interesting that the owners have decided to keep it closed to the public, however I think it's a very respectable move to preserve this historical place. The fact that they still have the secret doors and the teacups is also really nice. It's almost like they're in a fictional movie in a way. Do you happen to know where the second speakeasy is called and is it like this one?
Hey, Jenny! I found it super cool that speakeasies are still around today; I think it's great that they were able to preserve them like that. I was curious about how bootleggers were able to provide alcohol for them, and I wanted to see what I could find about how they made it possible. Bootleggers would smuggle alcohol in from places like Cuba, the Bahamas and the French islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon. The bootleggers would carry the alcohol into ports just outside of the US's jurisdiction, and then transfer it to high-powered craft that could outrace the Coast Guard. Over time, this became a very risky thing to do so bootleggers found ways within the country to supply alcohol. They would forge prescriptions for "medicinal" whiskey sold at drug stores, take from factories that used denatured alcohol mixed with chemicals for industrial purposes, and even bottle their own concoctions which were ofter dangerous and could cause blindness, paralysis, and even death. I find it surprising that people were willing to take such risks just to make money, but I guess the bootleggers' actions do align with the escalated crime culture of the time.
ReplyDeleteSource: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/73745/bootlegging
Great find! Just a small question about speakeasies I've had (for anyone): How were the passwords distributed or found? Did only the elect get to go through or was it a well known secret?
ReplyDeleteAndreas, I'm not sure how many people know the password to the Back Room today, but I found out about the Back Room from an article on a news site (PIX11). They were publicly broadcasting the password for November 3, which was PIX11, so I don't think the bar is particularly exclusive. Most people definitely don't know about it, as the bar isn't advertised at all and there are no signs on the street that could attract potential customers, but I don't think the owners are too concerned about maintaining their privacy considering the bar has their own website and location posted all over the internet.
ReplyDeleteHere's some gruesomely fascinating information about historical buildings:
ReplyDeleteIn the late 1800s, H.H.Holmes (often called America's first serial killer) built a three story hotel in Chicago using funds from insurance fraud and some murders. He made sure that no construction company worked on the building long enough to know it as well as he did. The entire building contained numerous secret passages, hidden rooms, and trapdoors, all of which Holmes used to his advantage. It is believed that Holmes murdered up to 200 visitors and employees in his "Murder Castle" and dropped their bodies down to a crematorium/dissection room in his basement through a secret chute. The building burned down in 1895 and the Englewood post office now stands in its place. Really creepy but morbidly interesting as well...