New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-04-25
THE Ho17sE AND IT'S PATRONS.


Swinging over the door of an old ch0p-house
IN the narrow lane known Thamesst only few RODS
from Broadway is O sign which looks as II ie hao peeh
battered by the and winds OF scores Oh years
And indeed its Weaherbeaten appearance does NOT Dee
ts age for the story that some time early In tne
,4Os this sign was painted by one OF the guests OF
Tom Holahan who In 1880 had assumed charge OF the
cbouhouse strong down the gloomy lane from Broad
way one sees the portrait of oly-lOoking old feow'
who IA eyeinR the mug Of foaming ale Whlch
is on the table by his side. On the opposVs
side Of the sign is the portrait Of the same man-ne
Old Tom" whose suggests 30 much TO those VINO
are familiar with the history Of the place for the last
oiobtv vears few years after Old Tom" tooH
charge OF the house he pursuaded judge Whitley, OF
New,Iersey so the story runs to paint him sgn Ihe
Judqe was fond of "Old Toms" ale, and
was one OF his regular patrons He had, TOO
some skill with the brush. 80 Old Tom pro
cured slab OF mahogany, and after attending churcn
the Judge would come every Sunday and ada lew
more touches TO the unfinished portraits, until ct
last the sign was completed and was hung up There 1t
naa awning to this day. contrasting Binguarly OF late
years with the arlstocratc sign L. Delmontoo when
one sees on Broadway he leaves " Old Toms" ana
which seems to look down upon It's humble rival with
dignIhed scorn
Although the ehOphouse has acquired the greaterpart
Of its reputation since the time when Old Tom took
possesson It has an interesting history beginning with
the present century. About the year 1900 Mrs. weeks
opened beer shop In the corner room OF an ola Two
story frame building which stood at the corner OF
Thamesst and what was then Tenpence Lane, now dig
nitied into Temples Plain and ibstanta meals were
furnished and the house pr0spered
In those years the hall of the City Hotel was the
favorlte place for dances and operate concerts AT the
Union Hotel, In Wllamst., discussions by eminent
men, Alexander Hamilton among them, took place on
yeightY legal and political questions MOST OF the
dyyein R-houses were below Madenane and COrtandt-
I'M
mer evenings for the KnckerbOcker madens and their
lovers Lower Broadway, Bowling Green, Broadst.
and Walst were the fashionable quarters OF the city
The land in the vicinity Of FOurteenthRt was then
divided into farms and old Dutch hOmesteads' Many
OF the old families who lived downtown had country
residences on Brooklyn Heights. Conspicuous among
the old KnckerbOcker the Battery were the
GovernmeDt House. at the Bowling Green and the Ken
nedy House. No. Broadway. During the KeVOluuOn
the Kennedy House occupied by Clinton and Howe,
and there Andre began his correspondence With Bene-
dict Arnold. Kennedy subsequently became Earl OF
Cassas.
In the course Of time Mrs. Weeks married william
reynolds and the aIe-house Thnmes-st, which
then reaped substantial benefit account or its near
ness to the City HOTEL took the name OF Old Reynoldss
Beer sbOp." Reynolds was o ohoerio old tehow'
with many eccentrcities and his joval guests played
many wild pranKs on him In order TO laugh at his eXh
btons Of temper in marked contrast With its present
aupearance his shop was dngy smoky and filled with
cobwebs 81 this was changed, however. when the
present building built on the site OF the old frame
house.
For a few years man named Nuns dealt ont the ale
TO clamorous customers and finally Thomas Holahan,
who had been employed in the City Hotel on the elite OF
what IL now the BOreel Building, bought out Mums's
shop and from that year-1e39-the chop house has
gone under the name Of Old Toms" In former times
It was frcquented by largo number OF drygoods mer
chants aud clerks but at present business and profes
49, .nWkta las ly Ipnr II
yers meet at smooth, highly polished tables Of hard
wood
As one enters the room he the left table COW
cred with unlocked meats fish and vegetables the sight
Of which tends whet ones appetite. Behind the ooun
ter nearly in front OF the door, stands Thomas Hoahan
not the Original Old Tom, but his Tom is
ouiet busy man. who moves around tho small room TAX
ing orders and having word two with this that
old customer and every little while Fastening back TO
the counter TO make change. At short intervals
when trade is velest that is at the lunch hour, Tom
takes from one OF the pegs behind him
toby which is filled with foaminS ale and
places 1t beside the chop just ordered
perchance by the broker whose head is filed with his
mornnR's success or failure tho street." The room
IA Irregular and on the dark walls hang ten or dozen
euRravngs and prints The scene OF the surrender OF
Lord CORVALLIS Yorktown portraits OF Henry clay,
Franklin Pierce and Mary Queen Of Scots, view OF
the Senate Chamber In tho days of Webster, Clay aud
Calhoun and sporting print called The Horse Fair"
are among the pictures. "Old Toms" ID
capital place in which to study types OF character
during the busy hour The merchant ond his clerk meet
here upon an equality. At one table recently was q
School Commissioners who has depended upon Old
Toms for steaks for twenty years or more at an
other eouple of young Englishmen, who deVouT-
ing their chops and ale with great resh at another eat
an old customer past middle age, who had brought his
boy from New-JerseV in order to acquan him with the
dpl1oacies OF sold Toms" harder; at another sat
kran laN I'm rhi
yell-tod stories OF Of their numbers and a. another
was group OF politicians earnestly discussing ques-
tons which they evidently thought were OF mOmenous
Importance the nation. Scattered here and there on
tables are weakly aPa eey when give
"Old Toms" has been iavorlto resort TOT cluO5 OF
yed we'll downtown the ciophouse much visited
in the evening Then 10 was more or an aleh0use ana
pgg OF an clearinghouse. dozen congenia spirits would
meet by tacit sort of understanding order their ale
H their pipes and settle themselves Tor long evening
SIs ms SsSr sSV were and o Toms was
an attractive place in which TO talk over the latest singer
| the evening the uptown current having carried tho
patrons OF The aeho1se out OF reaen 1T thSss - an
is testified TO by many OF the members OF the we'll
tender steak. F1tz Greene Haileck and other Kuighs
OF the Round Table were accustomed to meet at Old
u IlSies Of some sort and as most Of them
lived In the neighbOrhOod they could saely enjoy very
| late hours over their f0aminR mugn. These young
fellows, Of them Journalistic and literary men, met
| club only In name. still each man had his peculiar
ssat and was expected TO be present 10 occupy II.
Several rules one them being that 10 one should put
his hat the table. were vigorously enforced VIOLA
ton resulting IN fine. In case objection was made to
the hne court would be Immediately organized, ana
trial causing the most uprOarious iun, would follow
It Is int esng bear Tom tell now how thoee good
old days gone how The establishment OF tue dry
goods quarter or the city IN It's present place changed
Inc character OF his ale house. He loves TO dwell ON the
time men he lad OF ten or twelve years, SOLD opera
brettos at Castle Garden. where balls and other fes
vSis as well as entertainments given when Jenny
Lind appeared at the Irving House, aud was serenaded
| hv tho Volunteer Fire Department Young Tom was IN
the Fire Department then, and says that thS was the
| enstom OF tho boys who were onxOus that every
rrnnf actor cnme 70 NaRYOrk Should give