In some ways, buildings are like people. They have a birth and a prime of life. As they age, they either wear well or not. They’re either cherished and well cared for, or neglected. The lives of some buildings are cut short way too soon. Others seem to thrive year upon year upon year. Still others hang on, despite neglect, for a long time. They have roles in our lives, and when some buildings are gone, we remember their specialness.
I reflected on these thoughts while looking at a friend-recommended site called Hudson Valley Ruins. In this site (and also a book published in 2006), Tom Rinaldi and Rob Yasinsac chronicle historic and distinctive architecture “threatened by development, vandals, and time and the exposure to the elements,” as the site notes.
Roaming through HudsonValleyRuins.org, though its ruins lost and ruins brought back, you can read a good deal of the Hudson Valley’s history from Yonkers northward to Troy, looking at old and shuttered factories and mills, schools, train stations, houses, stores, and farms. The site has updates and a photo-illustrated “demo alert,” which warns of impending demolitions and promotes actions to save the structures. On Nov. 17 of this year, the alert told of the soon-to-occur demolition of the 1950s steel-and-glass-enclosed Carvel ice cream stand in Hartsdale, N.Y., on the site where the Carvel retail business was born in 1934. (In 2007, the site first cited the threat to the Carvel stand.)
This all got me thinking about McHale’s tavern on the west side of Midtown Manhattan. Three years ago right around this time, we found out that McHale’s, at West 46th Street and Eighth Avenue, would close in early 2006 to – as Curbed put it – “make way for 42 stories of you-can-probably-guess.” Developers were razing the building containing McHale’s and the Happy Deli in order to erect a sleek residential-condo building called The Platinum, appropriately named since one needs to have a lot of it to afford a condo here. I just couldn’t welcome a condo development with the name “The Platinum” replacing a legendary neighborhood pub.
Scenes and a Cast of Characters
After exploring the many buildings neglected, threatened, or demolished that Rinaldi and Yasinsac document on HudsonValleyRuins.org, I went looking online for anything about McHale’s. When I found a photo showing its familiar red and green neon signs and glass swing-door, I was surprised by the sadness that came up again. Three years later, the loss of McHale’s still feels fresh.
Losing some buildings is noteworthy because of the buildings themselves, their history, or architectural distinctiveness, while for others, it’s the lives within the building. McHale’s was a case of the latter, a well-lived life for more than 50 years as a beloved establishment. It didn’t have some consumer market-aimed name meant to conjure up a quality or image. McHale’s was named for a family – Jimmy McHale was the last owner of the place and his father, also named Jimmy, had bought the tavern in 1953.
The pub was gritty and earthy, not fancy. (Lost City, a blog whose birth was inspired by the death of McHale’s, called the place “traditional, old-style, classy, unpretentious, urban, vintage New York.”) It also felt timeless, as if my dad just as easily could have had a Koehler beer in a place looking like this in the 1950s as my having a Samuel Adams in 2004.
McHale’s had many regulars and became known as a hangout for the backstage folks who worked on Broadway, and its waitresses might be doing acting gigs as well as delivering beers and steaks to tables. Inside were several booths and a long oak bar in a front room where the brown venetian blinds let in just a little light at dusk. As one of my McHale’s companions once said, “Did you ever notice that the darker it gets, the better McHale’s looks?” Crowds would jam both the bar and the tavern’s back room – which for some reason felt to me like a Moose hall in upstate Pennsylvania – when the New York Yankees or the Rangers were in the playoffs.
Special memories live on this corner at West 46th and Eighth. I’ll never forget the night I jumped out of a booth and hugged a stranger for one of the fabled home runs a Yankee hit in the late-1990s playoffs. The bar had Rangers’ and Yankees’ photos, signed baseballs, hockey equipment and the like on the walls – truly old stuff. For years, a fuzzy-headed man clad in a Yankees jacket used to stand on the sidewalk outside of McHale’s, hold a transistor radio to his ear, and listen to the Yankees broadcast while watching the game on one of McHale’s TVs through the venetian blind slats. Where is he now, I wonder?
Next on the Menu?
McHale’s served hearty food and excellent beer for $4 a pint. Its thick and delicious burgers were on various best-of-New-York lists, and the book The 10 Best of Everything named them one of the world’s best. They were certainly the best in a lot of people’s worlds, including mine.
It’s hard to say what will end up in the street-level space of The Platinum building. Progress and the ever-changing, in New York and elsewhere, sometime bring a new great thing or place. But will it be a one-of-a-kind legendary watering hole that draws folks for generations? Hmmm, I wouldn’t bet on it. I can’t decry the process of new homes for people, so it’s not about stopping “progress” or all new construction. It’s about the scale, the monotonous effect of a line of high-rises on a neighborhood full of character, and a price paid in the process.
Hats off to Rinaldi and Yasinsac for the way their site and work capture and advocate for the neglected, threatened, and torn-down buildings of note in the Hudson Valley, on a continual basis. Sometimes somber in a sea of new, often-bland high-rises on Eighth Avenue in the West 40s of Manhattan, I wish McHale’s could have been saved.
Oh, McHales — it always seemed too good to be true! I was sad but not surprised when it closed.
I can affirm the evenings in McHale’s feeling too good to be true…great times with family and friends, excellent beer, delicious food. It’d be good to know about why you weren’t surprised — that says something about expectations in New York these days, perhaps?
McHale’s was so spacious and beautiful but not touristy or expensive. I kind of figured someone would come along and replace it with some high-rent something or other.
I used to hear about McHale’s from a friend of mine who found catharsis there with pals after exasperating days at the office. We have similar pubs in Pittsburgh – gritty little confessional booths where the sins of the work day are rehashed and absolved.
We, too, have lost many of our finer dives – Young’s Tavern in Crafton comes quickly to mind. And the original Atria’s in Mt. Lebanon had its own cast of characters who’ve long been displaced by the upscale restaurant that took its place and bears its name.
Nita,
I love your description of the “gritty little confessional booths.” Bet many a bartender can attest to that!
Interesting about the original Atria’s in Mt. Lebanon. I had no idea that was its history.
Going “upscale” reminds me of a childhood experience in Western PA. My mother took us to a small Italian restaurant, Troggio’s, in New Castle, which had excellent food. It grew so popular that Troggio’s built a new one, with higher prices. And my mother always said the sauce wasn’t as good after that! (She knew.) I call this the Troggio effect…bigger place in this case, more expensive food, not necessarily better.
Is it true that some long-time joints and dives are hanging on, even thriving, in some Pittsburgh neighborhoods?
Thanks,
Susan
RR,
Regarding your comment about replacing a place like McHale’s ‘with some high-rent something or other,” that makes me think of a tipping point. Seems once a couple of developers target an area and put up high-rise residential development and it draws people, then it hits a tipping point and you get a wave of them. That is what is occurring on Eighth Avenue in that stretch on the West Side in the 40s and low 50s .
On one hand, it speaks of a neighborhood’s desirability, while on the other it removes much of the older, local-owned or -operated places. On this section of Eighth Avenue, the neighborhood has seen the closing of McHale’s, a couple of very good delis, a hardware store, a low-price and wonderful Middle Eastern cafe, etc. In come Staples and Starbucks.
Thanks,
Susan
The thing about McHale’s was that you never knew who was going to turn up there. I once saw Michelle Pfeiffer sitting at the bar (it was really her) around the time that The Fabulous Baker Boys had just come out. I later read in the Post that she was staying in a hotel around the corner. Thanks for the memories!
Monica,
How cool to see Michelle Pfeiffer at McHale’s. Playbill, lamenting the tavern’s closing, cited Brian Dennehy, Ed Harris, and George Wendt as among the stars known to have graced McHale’s.
Thanks,
Susan
Oh how we wish that McHale’s was still there. Every time we came to NYC it was the first place we went. The year that we came up and saw it coming down was a real “downer”. At first we read that Mr. McHale was trying to find a new location, but I guess nothing has come up so far. If anyone can let us know of a tavern that even comes close please let us know soon…we will be there in April.
Thanks,
Julie and Mike
Julie and Mike,
I agree with your sentiments so much. In fact, as I looked at the Platinum high-rise over the weekend, I thought again of McHale’s and how we’re heading soon into the hockey playoffs — t’was always a great time at McHale’s. How wonderful that you went to McHale’s first when arriving in town!
Nothing, to my knowledge, has come up concerning Jimmy McHale opening up at a new location. But I will certainly keep my eyes and ears open, and post something if there’s word.
As for a tavern, it’s tough to even think of a spot that subs since McHale’s was truly a one-of-a-kind place. Don’t get me wrong…there are many good and welcoming taverns — like Walker’s in Tribeca, for instance — but McHale’s is first in my heart. One suggestion: If you’re looking for a friendly, old-style neighborhood bar, you might want to try Kenn’s Broome Street Bar, on the corner of West Broadway and Broome Street in SoHo. The bar actually has a delicious burger on a pita, which has convinced even skeptics. Check out this review and photos of it from the blog, “A Hamburger Today.”
We’ll see if anyone else comes up with some suggestions for a suitable New York tavern now that McHale’s is gone, and I’ll search the nooks and crannies of my mind for more!
Thanks,
Susan
I’m a former teammate of Jimmy’s, I can’t seem to find him. Maybe he’ll see this post. Jimmy, call me. Really miss the bar, when ever we visited Manhattan, McHale’s was our go to place. Miss those burgers! Jimmy, Rockets are still skating in Morristown, come on out & skate! Thanks, Richie Herkalo
Richie,
Sounds like you had some excellent times. Glad to hear that your team is still skating, and I wish you well!
Jimmy McHale ran a class bar, friendly and welcoming to all, with very, very decent prices and delicious food. A true New York establishment that most places can’t replicate. It was a neighborhood treasure.
Thank you for visiting Mindfulwalker.com. I plan to keep up on whether Jimmy McHale opens another place, as some heard and thought he might. Believe me, he’d have a long line out the door on the first day!
All the best,
Susan
Any word on whether Jimmy has opened a new bar?
Frank,
I haven’t heard any word of Jimmy McHale opening a new tavern. I did a bit of research but failed to come up with any news of a new bar. I’ll keep my ears open for any word.
Friends and I definitely missed McHale’s being there and open during the Yanks’ run to the World Championship this month. McHale’s is still very missed in the neighborhood! One-of-a-kind!
Thanks for stopping by Mindfulwalker.com, and please let me know if you hear anything about a new McHale’s establishment.
Best,
Susan
I miss McHale’s every day a bit more!!
I have tried every chicken wing in town and have not found a replacement for the McHale’s wings… I am desperate!
Does anyone know if Jimmy will reopen? He had a good long vacation…. it’s time to give us another McHALE’S….
I will check back to see if maybe, somewhere we find Jimmy and can ask him – Jimmy if you read this, give us an update what you are up to. We miss you and McHale’s!
Renee,
I agree with you — there were no wings quite like those at McHale’s. Like you, I still miss McHale’s very, very much. One doesn’t replace it with silvery hotel lounges and shiny new pubs. Of course, those places will establish their own histories, but McHale’s was one-of-a-kind.
Perhaps it is time to see if Jimmy can give all of us an update and whether he intends to open another establishment (or has opened one).
It’s amazing to know how much McHale’s lives on in the hearts of those who loved it.
Susan
I was truly gutted to hear McHale’s closed. I went there on my first trip to New York from the UK. And made a point of visiting there every time I returned to the city. As well as burgers they did the best chicken sandwich I have ever had. The atmosphere was superb, and you could just hang there on your own or with friends. Sadly missed. No place better.
Roger,
Thanks so much for recalling your memories of McHale’s. And you’re right — that chicken sandwich was excellent. It’s wonderful that you went to McHale’s every time you returned to the city. It was that kind of place, so great to just hang out in.
I can say that on the cusp of autumn in 2010 as I walk near West 46th Street and see “The Platinum,” I still miss McHale’s, too. (It always comes up when the Yanks play during autumn, and I miss seeing Yankees’ games on McHale’s TVs.) Its New York atmosphere wasn’t invented – just the long-time nature of the place.
You are so right: “no place better.”
Thanks,
Susan
I still think of McHale’s. My first gig outta college was at 48th between 8th and 9th, and my grizzled colleagues shared this treasure with me and I was in heaven. Probably went at least twice a month from when I discovered it in late 2000 through its closing in ’06. I can’t think of a single person who didn’t love it. It was where we watched games (Yankees and Rangers, of course), where we told tales, shared our struggles. Birthday parties and post-shiva meals happened there. I loved that place. Anyone could eat there, sidle up to that timeless bar or jump in a booth. Getting the 14 oz behemoth of a burger with onions and sauteed mushrooms was like doubling the thing in size.
I love that your post is still getting comments two-plus years after you wrote it. A tribute as to how classy and classic that place was. In fact, I ran into one of the waitresses from McHale’s at another Hell’s Kitchen spot a few weeks ago. She recognized me and gave me a hug. Not too many places that inspire that kind of camaraderie. it’s what places like Applebee’s imitate but can never duplicate.
Russ,
Well-said! Your comments summarize all that was right about McHale’s: its camaraderie, excellent and hearty food, special and one-of-a-kind quality for special events, its New Yorkness, and its whole character.
I still miss it, too. No tavern has quite replaced what that place meant to me, after moving to the city in the ’90s and through its closing, for great times with family and close friends.
As spring training turns into the regular season and the Yanks begin to play, I will think of it again. To this day I wonder what happened to the older gentleman who stood out on the sidewalk on many days, transistor radio in hand and up to his ear, and listened to the ballgames while he watched the game on McHale’s TV through the venetian blind slats.
Thanks for your great words about a place that lives on in our hearts and spirits.
All the best,
Susan
I miss McHale’s very much. I feel like I’ll never eat a great burger again.
Aaron,
Ditto on still missing that wonderful place and those excellent burgers. Every year at this time especially, with the upcoming hockey playoffs and the start of Major League Baseball, I think again of McHale’s. Nothing like it!
Susan
I have some news for all you McHale’s pub fans. There is a new McHale’s opening at 251 West 51st Street. It’s not Jimmy’s place, but it looks like a classy bar. It’s opening this summer, 2012. Check out the McHale’s Pub Facebook page.
See you for a beer at McHALE’S.
I was a beer salesman on the West Side for twenty years. I hung out in McHale’s with Jimmy Jr., hung out with Bob Demarge.
Ed,
So you knew the joy of McHale’s very well! I did not know Jimmy Jr., personally, but people loved him and his place. A one of a kind, and I still think about it. Great memories there.
Thanks for letting us know, and if you see Jimmy Jr., please give him best regards.
Susan