Oldest New York bar the Fraunces Tavern shut down after massive Sandy damage

The tavern was built in 1763 and frequented by George Washington among others

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KERRY O'SHEA,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

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The Fraunces Tavern in New York City before Sandy

Photo by Google Images

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Travers thinks he may able to get a loan for repairs through the small businesses portion of FEMA, but said that the process is very slow. That’s news that doesn’t bode well for a bar owner who is already having to lay off staff.

Surprisingly, the businesses in and around the Stone Street district where Fraunces Tavern is located are open and operating. Not surprisingly, Travers believes that the local businesses have taken a hit and aren’t drawing their usual traffic, as only construction workers and some business people are in the downtown Manhattan area as of late.

He estimates about 30 percent of the workplaces in the area are still without power, which of course, make a dent in the amount of people who will be in the area to stop in for lunches and dinners during and after work hours.

Travers says that getting Fraunces Tavern back and operating at full speed will be like beginning a new business from the ground up, and that it will be difficult. Plenty of money and time are going to be consumed in the process, with what currently appears to be little or slow help from FEMA.

The distressed bar owner said that he’s received support from the Dublin side of The Porterhouse Brewing company, that they’ve been over and have done everything they can to help. Still, the process seems daunting, especially when time and money don’t appear to be on Travers’ side.

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