By Bruce Klauber
“The Barbary Coast” referred to a strip of Margate bars that stretched from the bayfront to Washington Avenue and then to the beach. These partying spots were in operation from the 1950s through the 1980s, although some were in business as early as the 1940s and as late as the early 2000s.
The partying was quite heavy back in the day. The strip was so notorious that during a recent Margate commission meeting, Margate Mayor Michael Collins voiced concern that “residents fear a return of the infamous Barbary Coast vibe, where drunks and debauchery ruled.” The commission admitted that most of these classic party spots have been converted to condos and townhomes, but there’s a concern that the pendulum may be swinging back.
That’s doubtful as the “heat” generated by the still-in-operation Maynard’s and Memories, to say nothing of high-end restaurants like Steve & Cookies and Sophia’s, is minimal.
Maloney’s and Maynard’s have been detailed in these pages recently, but there were many more iconic, sometimes infamous and sometimes fondly-remembered bars that populated the Barbary Coast through the years.
The Greenhouse Bar was perhaps the oldest establishment on the strip. Its origins go as far back as the early 1900s, when it was an apartment house. It turned into a speakeasy during prohibition (rumor is that John Dillinger was a customer during those days). It was a full-fledged tavern by the 1930s and it was immensely popular in the 1950s. Structurally, it was more than sound, as it survived the hurricane of 1944 and nor’easter of 1962.
Moylan’s, located at Monmouth and Monroe avenues, and now the site of Steve & Cookies, dates back to 1940. The Martin Family owned Moylan’s – a dark, windowless bar with a good jukebox, which was in business until 1990. In local lore, Moylan’s was best known for an alcoholic concoction called “the Mother.” The ingredients were vodka, tequila, crème de mint, grenadine, gin, and the secret ingredient, Schmidt’s beer. Good luck with that!
A few Margate bars, like the late and great Maloney’s, have generated so many good memories that Facebook groups devoted to them have popped up. One venue with a Facebook group is Red’s. Glenn Klotz, whose family bought it and renovated it in 1979, is the administrator of the Red’s Facebook group. He posted a brief history of the memorable place.
“Red’s was built in 1950 and opened as the White House,” Klotz wrote. “It was owned by the Cohen Family, who were relatives of Paul “Skinny” D’Amato, who owned the 500 Club. They ran it as the White House until 1978. It was also called the Music Box/White House for two years, 1976-’78, and it was a disco then.
“The original White House was just another local dive like the Greenhouse and Maloney’s and the rest. My family bought and renovated it in 1979. It was re-named the “Ivory” in honor of Lucy the Elephant and was a New York-styled disco.
“It slowly evolved into a New Wave-styled rock club from the first year. By 1981, it was totally New Wave, given the death of 1970s disco. In 1984, the club was redesigned and renamed Red’s. Red’s went through redesigns and updates all the way to its closing on June 12, 1997. During those years, over 500 bands played at Ivory/Red’s. It was torn down in June of 2003. It was a fun place and I’m pleased it’s remembered here.”
In an April 2009 piece for the long-gone Downbeach Current, writer Bill Kelly, a frequent contributor to these pages, gave a fine overview and a guided tour of some of the other, nearly-forgotten bars that populated the Barbary Coast.
“The Harbor Inn, at one time not long ago, sold 10 beers for a dollar,” Kelly wrote. “On the next corner was Merrel’s, where Lew London, the East Coast Aces, Bobby Campanell and the original Shakes played before it became Gilhooley’s, a brass and glass joint. On the corner, there used to be Kelly’s corner bar, with a pool table and jukebox. Kelly’s was attached to Gables, one of the premier rock ‘n’ roll bars on the East Coast. Once said to be a bowling alley, the huge nightclub had multiple bars, a dance floor and a stage where The Exceptions were the house band. The Exceptions opened for major acts like John Kay and Steppenwolf.
“Around the corner and across the street was Omar’s, a neighborhood bar that was once called the Nickelodeon, a bust out joint which featured live bands, before it too became a fancy restaurant and then, condos. There was also the Barn Pizza hut, a popular pit stop for generations. A block down from the Greenhouse was the Beach Bar, where you could walk in off the beach in your bare feet and get a cold one. That became a high rise in the early 1980s.
“Wherever you went at the Barbary Coast, at the end of the night, after shooting pool, drinking and dancing to the live bands, everyone eventually ended up at Lenny’s Hot Dogs. When the sun came up, it was in the shadow of Lucy the Elephant. By three or four in the morning there was a line at Lenny’s where people stood around mingling, talking, eating hot dogs, and getting ready to take a nap on the beach, or reluctantly go home.”
I can attest to how special, and often much-needed, Lenny’s was. In the late 1980s I was doing double duty as a musician, dividing my time between The Starlight Ballroom in Pennsauken, which was open until 4 a.m., and the old Trump Plaza, where my musical shift began at the ungodly hour of 11:30 a.m.
When things ended at 4 in the morning in Pennsauken, I high-tailed it down to Lenny’s in Margate where I scarfed down three dogs with raw onions, circa 5:30 a.m., before getting a few hours’ sleep at the old White Sands Motel.
The Barbary Coast era ended for many reasons. The lower drinking age led to more accidents and DWI arrests. There were some well-publicized drug incidents and more than a couple of episodes of violence that made headlines. But the main reason was the increase in property values. With the exception of Maynard’s and Memories, the fabled bars have been replaced by condos and high-end restaurants.
Indeed, all things must change, but as Bill Kelly wrote in 2009, “Today, as they sit around sipping champagne in their waterfront condos and at the sushi bars, it seems that the people who have never been to Margate’s Barbary Coast in its heyday just don’t know what a good time is.”
Bruce Klauber is the author of four books, an award-winning music journalist, concert and record producer and publicist, producer of the Warner Brothers and Hudson Music “Jazz Legends” film series, and performs both as a drummer and vocalist.
