21 Club

First version and Prohibition The first version of the club opened in Greenwich Village in 1922, run by cousins Jack Kriendler and Charlie Berns. It was originally a small speakeasy known as the Red Head. In 1925 the location was moved to a basement on Washington Place and its name was changed to Frontón. The following year it moved uptown to 42 West 49th Street, changed its name to the Puncheon Club, and became much more exclusive. In late 1929, to make way for the construction of Rockefeller Center, the club moved to 21 West 52nd Street and changed its name to Jack and Charlie's "21". It opened at that location on January 1, 1930, when it was estimated there were 32,000 speakeasies in New York City. Although raided by police on many occasions during Prohibition, the premises staff had methods to protect the club from the authorities. As soon as a raid began, a system of levers was used to tip the shelves of the bar, sweeping the liquor bottles through a chute and into the city's sewers. The bar also included a secret wine cellar, which was accessed through a hidden door According to The New York Times, in 1950, when most burgers were the cost of a dime at coffee shops, 21 Club charged $2.75. New owners and dress code In 1985, the Kriendler and Berns families sold their interests in the restaurant to General Felt Industries, a holding company headed by Marshall S. Cogan and Stephen Swid. Ten years later, Cogan and Swid sold the restaurant to Orient-Express Hotels. In 1995 it became part of Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. which in 2014 changed its name to Belmond Ltd. On January 24, 2009, it ended its long-standing policy of requiring men to wear neckties at dinner. Wearing a jacket, however, was still required, and loaner jackets by Michael Kors and Ralph Lauren were available for men to borrow if they had neglected to bring one. In mid-2015, all 37 jockeys were removed for a three-month artist restoration; they returned on October 21, 2015, for a ribbon-cutting. Pandemic and closure In March 2020, indoor dining at all New York City restaurants, including 21 Club, ceased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In November 2020, the club's managers stated that it had made the decision to keep the club permanently closed. The signature jockey statues were removed in December 2020. 21 Club was one of many restaurants in New York City that were permanently closed during the pandemic. On March 9, 2021, the club's 148 mostly unionized employees were officially laid off with a notice filed with the New York Department of Labor. LVMH subsidiary Belmond informed The New York Times that the restaurant was gone, but that a "distinctive" restaurant might be created instead, saying a month later no "final concept" had been settled on. ==Ambiance==

The Bar Room included a restaurant, a lounge and, as the name implied, a bar. The walls and ceiling of the Bar Room were covered with antique toys and sports memorabilia donated by famous patrons. Perhaps the best known feature of 21 was the line of painted cast iron lawn jockey statues which adorned the balcony above the entrance. In the 1930s, some of the affluent customers of the bar began to show their appreciation by presenting 21 with jockeys painted to represent the racing colors of the stables they owned. In 2006, there were 33 jockeys on the exterior of the building, and 2 more inside the doors. New York Magazine wrote "It's a New York icon, but the midtown stalwart is nevertheless starting to feel like it's stuck in the past," noting the dress code and decor. The first of the signature statues of jockeys outside the restaurant had been added in the 1930s after a donation, with more donated by New York families such as the Vanderbilts and Mellons. ==Reception==

Between 2003 and 2015, the restaurant was a recipient of the Wine Spectator Grand Award. In 2017, Zagat gave it a food rating of 4.3 out of 5. ==See also==