Gallagher's Steak House

Gallagher's Steak House was founded in November of 1927 by Helen Gallagher, a former Ziegfeld girl, the wife of Edward Gallagher (1873-1929) and Jack Solomon a colorful gambler with a large loyal following from the sporting element. These were the days of Prohibition and Gallagher’s was one of the first speakeasy gathering places for gamblers, sports figures, and stars of Broadway. For other uses, see November (disambiguation). ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Ziegfeld Girls were the chorus girls from Florenz Ziegfelds theatrical spectaculars known as the Ziegfeld Follies which were based on the Folies Bergères of Paris. ... For other people named Edward or Ed Gallagher, see Ed Gallagher Edward Gallagher (1873 - May 28, 1929) was a Vaudeville actor and half the act Gallagher and Shean. ... Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol. ... A speakeasy was an establishment that was used for selling and drinking alcoholic beverages during the period of U.S. history known as Prohibition, when selling or buying alcohol was illegal. ... Broadway theatre is often considered the highest professional form of theatre in the United States. ...

The restaurant opened, next door to the Alvin Theater just nights before "Funny Face," a new musical by George and Ira Gershwin which starred Fred Astaire and his sister Adele. Running for 244 performances it was one of the top hits of the 1927-1928 season. The Alvin Theater has today become the Neil Simon Theater and is still beside Gallagher's with the Virginia Theater on the other side. The Neil Simon Theater, formerly known as the Alvin Theater, is a Broadway theatre located at 250 West 52nd Street in Manhattan, New York City which has produced many notable musicals and plays. ... Funny Face is an American musical film released in 1957, based on the 1927 broadway version by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin. ... George Gershwin photograph by Edward Steichen in 1927. ... George (left) and Ira Gershwin Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershowitz) (December 6, 1896 - August 17, 1983) American lyricist, collaborator with, and brother of George Gershwin He is interred in the Westchester Hills Cemetery, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. ... Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987), born Frederick Austerlitz in Omaha, Nebraska, was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. ... Adele Astaire, 1927 Adele Astaire (September 10, 1896 -January 25, 1981) was an American dancer and entertainer. ... 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Neil Simon Theater, formerly known as the Alvin Theater, is a Broadway theatre located at 250 West 52nd Street in Manhattan, New York City which has produced many notable musicals and plays. ...

In 1933 when FDR took office he fulfilled his promise to end Prohibition. With liquor now legal, Gallagher and Solomon brought a new style of restaurant: Broadway’s first steak house. This is where the first “New York Strip” steak was served. With just the basics and an informal atmosphere of speakeasy and American country inn. The walls were covered with photos of the stars of Broadway, Hollywood, business, politics, and athletes past and present. Even the stars of Belmont Park and Aqueduct Racetrack at Jamaica are honored. 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945), 32nd President of the United States (1933-1945), is best known for his leading the U.S. through the Great Depression via his New Deal, his building a powerful political coalition, the New Deal Coalition, that dominated American politics for decades... Secretariats statue greets racing fans and jockeys in the paddock of Belmont Park. ... Aqueduct Racetrack, known as the Big A, is a horse racetrack in the neighborhood of Ozone Park in Queens, New York. ...

When Helen died, Jack Solomon married Irene Hayes, who was also a former Ziegfeld girl and one of the top florists in Manhattan known as Irene Hayes Wadley & Smythe. After a number of years at the helm, as the sole owner of Gallagher's, Irene decided to sell and chose Jerome Brody, the restauranteur responsible for the Rainbow Room and the Four Seasons. Irene Hayes (1896 – September 16, 1975 was a Ziegfeld girl and businesswoman who owned Irene Hayes Wadley & Smythe, a leading Manhattan florist and Gallaghers Steak House after the death of her husband Jack Solomon. ... Manhattan Borough,highlighted in yellow, lies between the East River and the Hudson River. ... The Rainbow Room is a well-known upscale restaurant on the sixty-fifth floor of the GE Building in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. ...

External link

• Official website