History, Ghosts and Cheap Beer - NY's 7th Regiment Armory
a few years ago our good friend Gail moved to the upper east side and invited some friends for drinks at a "hidden spot". intrigued, we meet her at the corner of 66th Street and Park Avenue in front of a massive and somewhat intimidating structure (taking up an entire city block) called the Seventh Regiment Armory. we didn't know much about the building at the time, except that it occasionally housed art and antique shows.
stepping up to the building's main doors, Gail tells the armed guards we're going to the restaurant and they allow us entry. it's hard to begin to describe the musty, forgotten treasure chest of artifacts you walk into. the articles below give a sense of the incredible architecture, art and antiques, and layers of history that surround you. but it's the creepiness, dim lighting and layers of dust that entrance us. torn flags from battle fields, huge paintings, and gothic iron work chandlers line the walls (they seem to only maintain one working/lit bulb per fixture.)
taking the elevator to the 4th floor, the doors open to a long hall set up as a bar that's straight out of a Knights of Columbus Hall; moose heads, funky furniture, a cool old bar. and clenching the deal - beer and drinks are super cheap!
although wandering around the building is, ah, discouraged with weaponry, you can explore the very cool dining rooms. a few follow form with the bar and look like a wedding hall nightmare. but some, like the "Rumpus Room" have walls lined with art that should be in museums! like "Prison Art" going back to the 1700's (art created by American war prisoners.)
that first visit started a minor obsession with the building that's revealed some incredible info about this massive, historic, and strangely forgotten treasure. here's a good introdution from a conservancy partner...
"The building was completed in 1879 and contains interiors finished by such prominent designers as Louis Comfort Tiffany and the Herter Brothers. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission described the building’s magnificent rooms as “the single most important collection of 19th century interiors to survive intact in one building... In addition, the Armory’s 55,000 square-foot Drill Hall with 80-foot high barrel vaults was a marvel of engineering in its day and remains one of the largest unobstructed interiors in New York City."
but the most informative source out there is this excellent in-depth article from Magazine Antiques - The Seventh Regiment Armory in New York City - restoration of the historic site in New York. a must for NY history freaks, 4 pages packed with the building's history, architecture and design details!
some more info and links:
- photos of the interiors
- the Armory Restaurant's official site, several shots of the dining rooms (food is ok at best)
- it's disturbing how little we found on restoration being done to the building's structure or rooms. the most recent restoration information we found was from 2000.
- part of the 7th Reg Armory is a facility for homeless women
the Regiment has several independently run events throughout the year (charging around a $15 admission) but you don’t need to wait for an event, you can stop by during their evening hours, get a cheap beer, sit in a musty chair and soak in the atmosphere.
Bonus Link!: Forgotten NY has an excellent article with lots of awesome photos on another of our favorite places in NYC for history, ghosts and cheap beer - McSorley's!
