The Paris Cafe

In 1873, restauranteur Henry Meyer bought a 10 year old brick building located at 119 South Street and opened Meyer’s Hotel. He offered the finest accommodations in the area. At the heart of this establishment he constructed an elegant bar with polished woods and sparkling mirrors. He named it the Paris Café.

Meyer’s catered to travelers, who arrived at the Seaport from distant lands, as well as the rich and famous of the era. Thomas Edison is said to have used the Paris Café as a second office while designing the world’s first centralized power stations on nearby Pearl Street. Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill Cody, as well as the famous outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were guests at the elegant establishment. Teddy Roosevelt was said to have dropped in on occasion while serving as the head of the New York City Police department. His purpose was to collar officers who indulged themselves while on duty. Ironically, less than a decade later, the 1930’s notorious crime figures Albert Anastasia and Louis Lepke of Murder, Inc. came to the Paris Café to convene under the dim lights and plot the elimination of their enemies.

Today the South Street Seaport Area is the most vital cultural center in lower Manhattan. In July of 2000 the establishment was purchased by John Ronaghan and Peter O’Connell, who have slightly changed the name and brought the establishment back to its original grandeur. The Paris is now a landmark in the Federal Registry of Historic Buildings. At the Paris you can experience some of the history of New York City along with excellent food and fine spirits. It is still one of the most memorable stops for many of the millions of visitors who pass through the South Street Seaport each year.