A barroom legendSourced
Was this jazz bar won
in a card game?
New York's 55 Bar began in 1919. One account says its founder acquired the property in a card game; that remains a story rather than a settled fact. It later operated through Prohibition as a speakeasy.
The legend became part
of the bar's history.
Summary / translation: Unbubly · CC BY-SA 4.0
Source and reuse details
55 Bar · Wikimedia contributors
Adapted, summarized and translated from the source. Adapted text is also available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Reviewed: 2026-10-01