America @ 250 - Fraunces Tavern

Thursday marked the birthday of the oldest bar in NY – Fraunces Tavern. The Tavern doors opened on January 15, 1762, although the building itself dates to 1719. It was constructed as a mansion house by Stephen DeLancey with bricks imported from the Dutch Republic. It is the oldest surviving structure in Manhattan. Throughout its history it served as a private home, a tavern, a meeting place for the Sons of Liberty, the location where the treason of Benedict Arnold was discovered, a venue for peace negotiations with the British and most famously as the location for George Washington’s farewell party.

In September 1780, a NJ farmer was in the tavern and was told by the taverner that British soldiers had been in and were toasting to American General Benedict Arnold. It appeared that Arnold was involved in some conspiracy to betray the cause and hand over West Point to the British. Once back to Jersey, that information made its way to General Anthony "Mad Anthony" Wayne and then to Washington himself.

In 1783, Washington gathered with his closest friends and fellow officers at Fraunces Tavern to bid farewell after the Revolutionary War. The guest list featured notable names like Alexander Hamilton, Henry Knox, and other founding fathers.

The party lasted for hours — and the bar tab, which still exists, is the stuff of legends. The roughly 55 guests drank their way through:

• 54 bottles of Madeira wine
• 60 bottles of claret
• 22 bottles of porter
• 12 bottles of beer
• 8 bottles of cider
• 7 bowls of spiked punch

In total, that worked out to roughly three bottles per person, plus an additional drink or two from the punch bowl — making it one of the most spirited farewells in American history! (I have hosted a soiree or two at Fraunces Tavern and, despite our best efforts, never came close to a bar tab like this.)

By 1785, the tavern was converted to office space for the new American government and housed the offices of Foreign Affairs and War. When the government left New York in 1790, the building was converted to a rooming house. After a series of fires, it was scheduled for demolition, but was saved in 1900 by the Daughters of the American Revolution. It was subject to a controversial restoration in 1904 that may or may not have returned it to its original condition. Regardless, it was added to the National Historic Register in 1977.

Note: There will be some controversy over my assertion that Fraunces is the oldest bar in NY. The main competitor is McSorley’s Old Ale House. There is a technicality. McSorley’s is the oldest CONTINUOUSLY OPERATING bar in NY. Because Fraunces Tavern had several different incarnations, it does not qualify under the continuously operating rule.