#nyatitscore

Now, the location is NYU’s University Hall dormitory. But in 1882 German immigrant August Lüchow’s purchased a café/beer garden and named it after himself. It was open and operating for a century, becoming an unofficial neighborhood and city landmark. At the time of the restaurant’s founding, the heart of the East Village was known as “Little Germany” or Kleindeutschland because of the large population of German immigrants. In 1855, NYC had the 3rd largest German-speaking population in the world, outside of Vienna and Berlin. The restaurant was purchased with a $1,500 loan to August Lüchow from fellow German immigrant William Steinway. Yes, that Steinway! After all, Steinway Hall was right across the street. In fact, Steinway was known as “the patron saint of Luchow’s.” It was a place to see and be seen for the music, theater, and literary crowd; even Oscar Hammerstein dined there. Like any quality German establishment, Luchow’s was serious about its beer. In 1885, they became the American agent for Würzburger Beer, then Pilsner. In 1902, the outdoor beer garden and surrounding stables were converted into “the Heidelberg Room”. In 1906, after purchasing the adjacent Huber Museum, Luchow’s achieved its final form with the addition of two additional rooms. The Heidelberg Room, was probably the most memorable as it was decorated with ship models, paintings, a beer stein collection, and animal heads (taxidermied of course). Fun Fact: after prohibition’s 1933 repeal, Luchow’s was the 1st restaurant in the city to get its liquor license. Beginning in 1950, the place went through several different owners and by the 1980’s, the Union Square area had drastically changed. And, not in the best way. In an effort to reinvent itself, Luchow’s moved to the Theater District, but didn’t find success. There were a few stints at other locations, but ultimately Luchow’s was no more.