Beloved Lower East Side dive 169 Bar faces eviction after owner-landlord dispute

Downtown Manhattan’s beloved and historic 169 Bar has operated at 169 East Broadway since 1916. The scuzzy spot has been part of many generations of Lower East Side scenes, from punk to Dimes Square, and has attracted clientele including Zoe Kravitz, Cillian Murphy, Jason Momoa and Aziz Ansari; Ansari’s Master of None character, Dev Shah, partied there on the show, and it was a haunt for Gina Rodriguez in the film Someone Great.

The building itself has been a neighborhood institution, housing apartments (many often housing bar staff), a mahjong parlour, a law office, a dominatrix, and a hall with mattresses used for oil wrestling matches. Current owner Charles Hanson purchased the bar in 2006.

Relations between Hanson and the owner of the building soured several years ago and have worsened. Insiders allege that amid the bad blood a representative of the owners has dressed up in wigs, hats, sunglasses and other disguises, actions that contributed to the conflict with management.

United States, Manhattan

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