On Thursday April 29 at Freddy’s Bar, small magnetic LCD lights ascended rapidly from the hands of patrons, fixing themselves to the historic tin ceiling – a glowing, colorful metaphor for how this 70 year old establishment might soon be moving on.
The reality, however, is that the patrons and the staff are not willing to write the bar’s obituary just yet. In fact, some don’t even believe that despite the bar’s eviction, Bruce Ratner’s Nets arena will ever come to fruition. The Times, always ahead of the curve, did their obit today, and surely this weekend’s last hurrah will bring a barrage of reporters and gawkers to the Prospect Heights bar, keen to experience the end of something – anything – authentic.
On Thursday, taps of beer had been mostly cleaned out, chains from a past civil disobedience still draped the bar, and souvenir bric-a-brac had begun to disappear. There was chatter of how a potential move to Park Slope would change the character of the institution, downgrading it to just another “Park Slope bar.” Faced with the impending fate of the Dean Street pub and its infamous backroom, most patrons seemed dumbfounded and sad about how the end of this era came to be, yet were still determined to party on through it.
Though plans to move the bar to Park Slope have not yet been finalized, bar manager Donald O’Finn told reporters in a statement on April 19, “Freddy’s is not an address, it is an idea.” Indeed it is the hope of Freddy’s regulars that the physical location – though it will be missed – matters less then the atmosphere, which makes this bar a cherished late night spot.
The incident reminded some of the fate of Tracy Westmoreland’s Hell’s Kitchen spot Siberia – another David and Goliath bar story – which has yet to find a permanent home again.
Freddy’s will be open through Saturday night, according to the staff (despite an article in The Brooklyn Paper stating Friday is their last night) who hopes to see you soon after that at a new location.
Freddy’s is now located at 627 5th Avenue in Park Slope.
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