Old (defunct) NYC pool hall?

[Bavafongoul]

you guys are mixing up brooklyn
and manhattan, pretty sure sjm
knows all about ovington avenue

I worked on Wall Street and lived in Bay Ridge and S.I. for the initial 30 years of my life before relocating.
Heck, I watched the Tall Ships sail by my home into the NYC harbor for Operation Sail 4th July 200th anniversary.

It was an amazing sight with old wooden ships and modern naval air craft carriers, destroyers, etc. I had a view of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge from my living room window……it was a majestic sight ordinarily but even more spectacular.

 

[ctyhntr]

The pool room still was doing business for decades after that time. The business didn’t close its doors
until Feb. 2020. It had a long run by any measure for just a neighborhood pool room in a residential area
that Bat Ridge was. It wasn’t like downtown Brooklyn which had more commercial size buildings. 56 years
is quite an accomplishment just as much as playing Jean Balukis scared all the men pool players of the era.

You're confusing City hall with Ovington in Brooklyn.

 

[Bavafongoul]

You're confusing City hall with Ovington in Brooklyn.

No I’m not……I know more about NYC buildings than you’d ever imagine.
I’m talking downtown Fulton Street, Atlantic Avenue, Court Street near the
Bklyn Bridge, Park Slope. Heck, I attended St. John’s University Brooklyn
Campus on 72 Schmerhorn Street in the 60’s and it was 12 stories high
built in the late 20’s. Make no mistake about it. Brooklyn was totally blue
collar working class people unlike Manhattan which was the financial capital
of America. Towering skyscrapers but with residential neighborhoods throughout
from the Bowery to the Bronx. All I wrote was downtown was Brooklyn had more
commercial size buildings than Bay Rudge.Just view Fulton Street back in the 40’’,
50’s & 60’s. There were stores like Mc Crory’s and Abraham & Strauss that were big
buildings. & weren’t isolated examples either. But Brooklyn sure wasn’t like Manhattan.

I should know about NYC buildungs because my father was one of only 16 Building
Inspectors responsible for all five Burroughs of NYC requiring a building permit. And
since permits create revenue, in NYC, you required a permit for most anything requiring
plumbing, electrical, heating, cooling, fencing, landscape, concrete, renovation, demolition,
new construction, modification, expansion of existing premises, elevators, fire systems,
etc. No need to go on……the five Burroughs were a kingdom unique to itself……and
that’s how things were done back in the day. Centralized power in the hands of only a few.

The Building Inspector had authority to enter any premises that required a building permit
to either operate, or undertake construction, at any time to conduct an inspection of the
location to determine compliance and proper materials usage with existing building codes.
So as young boy growing up with summer school vacation, I’d tag along as a workday
observer before they invented bring a kid to work day. We’d visit various buildings and I
just became acquainted with neighborhoods and buildings of all types, especially Bklyn.

I still have my father’s Building Inspector Badge that’s supposed to be surrendered and destroyed
at retirement. My dad never got to retire because he went on medical disability and never got to return
to his job that left him very physically crippled. That’s a story for another time or maybe not. But why even
bring up the past when nothing can change it and nothing is gained from thinking about it either. Let it be.

 

[markjames]

i think post #3 in this thread said it best-

here is a current photo from a place on nostrand ave where a local barber tells me that he used to rack the balls for cisero murphy

 

[jay helfert]

Peter Falk was from Ossining Ny - a north Suburb of NYC - Robert Ryan - very prolific actor 40s thru mid 60s lived in NYC in the early 60s and played at MC Girrs as well.

Jerry Orbach hung out at Guys and Dolls quite a bit. He loved to play Straight Pool and could run a rack or maybe two. Everyone called him Jerry "The Actor." Back then I think he was mostly doing parts in Off Broadway plays. He wore the same long tan trench coat every time I saw him. In New York all the men wore trench coats in the winter time.

 

[djg576]

Somewhere on AZB there was a thread where an old school nyc resident was talking about rooms all over midtown. Seems it was around 10 -11 years ago I remember reading what he posted. He was talking about action spots and some no action spots. Was a great thread. I’ll see if I can find it. As I recall the poster wasn’t a prolific poster here but he was 100% credible.

Be nice to find that thread again

Best
Fatboy

Maybe Johnny T (Terrell)?

 

[mikemosconi]

Jerry Orbach hung out at Guys and Dolls quite a bit. He loved to play Straight Pool and could run a rack or maybe two. Everyone called him Jerry "The Actor." Back then I think he was mostly doing parts in Off Broadway plays. He wore the same long tan trench coat every time I saw him. In New York all the men wore trench coats in the winter time.

Funny, but true- The big thing was belted trench coats- I remember my first job in NYC in mid 70s- first thing you bough with your suits was a trench coat - they came with removable wool liners so that you could wear them for three seasons and most guys did just that !

 

[ctyhntr]

No I’m not……I know more about NYC buildings than you’d ever imagine.
I’m talking downtown Fulton Street, Atlantic Avenue, Court Street near the
Bklyn Bridge, Park Slope. Heck, I attended St. John’s University Brooklyn
Campus on 72 Schmerhorn Street in the 60’s and it was 12 stories high
built in the late 20’s. Make no mistake about it. Brooklyn was totally blue
collar working class people unlike Manhattan which was the financial capital
of America. Towering skyscrapers but with residential neighborhoods throughout
from the Bowery to the Bronx. All I wrote was downtown was Brooklyn had more
commercial size buildings than Bay Rudge.Just view Fulton Street back in the 40’’,
50’s & 60’s. There were stores like Mc Crory’s and Abraham & Strauss that were big
buildings. & weren’t isolated examples either. But Brooklyn sure wasn’t like Manhattan.

I should know about NYC buildungs because my father was one of only 16 Building
Inspectors responsible for all five Burroughs of NYC requiring a building permit. And
since permits create revenue, in NYC, you required a permit for most anything requiring
plumbing, electrical, heating, cooling, fencing, landscape, concrete, renovation, demolition,
new construction, modification, expansion of existing premises, elevators, fire systems,
etc. No need to go on……the five Burroughs were a kingdom unique to itself……and
that’s how things were done back in the day. Centralized power in the hands of only a few.

The Building Inspector had authority to enter any premises that required a building permit
to either operate, or undertake construction, at any time to conduct an inspection of the
location to determine compliance and proper materials usage with existing building codes.
So as young boy growing up with summer school vacation, I’d tag along as a workday
observer before they invented bring a kid to work day. We’d visit various buildings and I
just became acquainted with neighborhoods and buildings of all types, especially Bklyn.

I still have my father’s Building Inspector Badge that’s supposed to be surrendered and destroyed
at retirement. My dad never got to retire because he went on medical disability and never got to return
to his job that left him very physically crippled. That’s a story for another time or maybe not. But why even
bring up the past when nothing can change it and nothing is gained from thinking about it either. Let it be.

In none of my comments I was referring to Ovington, only to the pool hall at Park Row.

Best

 

[ctyhntr]

Funny, but true- The big thing was belted trench coats- I remember my first job in NYC in mid 70s- first thing you bough with your suits was a trench coat - they came with removable wool liners so that you could wear them for three seasons and most guys did just that !

That was me. London Fog rain coat from Syms, then Century 21.

 

[Fatboy]

Maybe Johnny T (Terrell)?

I remember Johnny T and was thinking it might have been him. He send me some writings he did years ago. He sure was a great guy. Hopefully a search here will turn up something.

Best
Fatboy

 

[jay helfert]

Funny, but true- The big thing was belted trench coats- I remember my first job in NYC in mid 70s- first thing you bough with your suits was a trench coat - they came with removable wool liners so that you could wear them for three seasons and most guys did just that !

You're right, they wore them pretty much all year round, except maybe in the heat of Summer. Yes to the belts as well. Coming from the Midwest I thought it looked funny.

 

[Racky BallBoa]

Jerry Orbach hung out at Guys and Dolls quite a bit. He loved to play Straight Pool and could run a rack or maybe two. Everyone called him Jerry "The Actor." Back then I think he was mostly doing parts in Off Broadway plays. He wore the same long tan trench coat every time I saw him. In New York all the men wore trench coats in the winter time.

When I first visited McGirrs in the early 1970s, the place was kind of empty, but there were 3 guys there just standing around, and each one wore a trench coat and a fedora hat, and each one had a toothpick dangling from their mouth. I felt a bit uncomfortable.

 

[jay helfert]

When I first visited McGirrs in the early 1970s, the place was kind of empty, but there were 3 guys there just standing around, and each one wore a trench coat and a fedora hat, and each one had a toothpick dangling from their mouth. I felt a bit uncomfortable.

I never cared for McGirrs either. Broadway was always packed, and it was full of hustlers. They were all over me the moment I went in the door. Guys and Dolls was perfect for me, lots of good players, action every night and most of the time the hustlers left me alone. I picked my games with other low level players like me. I also liked 7-11 because some of the best players in the world were there every night. Even without any games the banter in the room was always fun to listen too. Lot's of good story telling. Once in a while some roadman ventured in there and made a game. The vultures crowded around to watch him get eaten alive. I never saw anyone come in and beat Shorty, Jersey Red, Johnny Ervolino or Richie Ambrose. There were some good players who tried but they did not prevail. If they got him on the 5x10 next to the counter he was toast!

 

[Racky BallBoa]

I never cared for McGirrs either. Broadway was always packed, and it was full of hustlers. They were all over me the moment I went in the door. Guys and Dolls was perfect for me, lots of good players, action every night and most of the time the hustlers left me alone. I picked my games with other low level players like me. I also liked 7-11 because some of the best players in the world were there every night. Even without any games the banter in the room was always fun to listen too. Lot's of good story telling. Once in a while some roadman ventured in there and made a game. The vultures crowded around to watch him get eaten alive. I never saw anyone come in and beat Shorty, Jersey Red, Johnny Ervolino or Richie Ambrose. There were some good players who tried but they did not prevail. If they got him on the 5x10 next to the counter he was toast!

I never saw Richie Ambrose shoot pool; no youtube videos that I am aware of. He came strolling into the Corner Pocket pool room in Orlando, FL in the mid 1980s looking for some action, but no action that day. The owner knew him and they just talked for a while.

 

[jay helfert]

I never saw Richie Ambrose shoot pool; no youtube videos that I am aware of. He came strolling into the Corner Pocket pool room in Orlando, FL in the mid 1980s looking for some action, but no action that day. The owner knew him and they just talked for a while.

Jam up 9-Ball player. His nicknames in NYC were Richie From the Bronx and 9-Ball Richie.