On a warm summer evening in June 1932, during the height of America's Prohibition Era, ten federal agents knock on the door of the most famous speakeasy in New York, '21'. Jimmy, the doorman, squints through the peephole and, seeing the officers, activates a secret alarm that alerts the management that a raid is imminent.
Seconds later, federal officers burst in, and ransack the building looking for liquor. After hours of searching the premises - closets, rooms, attic, basement - law enforcement agents admit defeat and leave without finding the two thousand cases of contraband hidden downstairs.
Years later, the great mystery as to why the agents never found the liquor was revealed -'21's secret Wine Cellar!
Perhaps the most elaborately disguised vault in New York City, '21's Wine Cellar was built to be invisible. Behind several smoked hams that hung from the basement ceiling and a shelved wall filled with canned goods, stood a perfectly camouflaged 2 1/2 ton door that appeared to be part of the wall. Opened only by inserting a slender 18" meat skewer through one of many cracks in the cement wall, the secret door silently slid back to reveal '21's most coveted treasure: two thousand cases of wine.
As a matter of record, '21's Wine Cellar was, and still is, in 19 West 52nd Street. During Prohibition, '21' did not own the building at 19 West 52nd Street, they just rented the cellar. Because of this, when employees were asked by Federal agents if there was liquor on the premises, they could truthfully answer "No, sir!" |
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Plan an event in the Wine Cellar and experience the best of '21' More » |
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Discover the traditions of our well-hidden bottles. More » |
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Watch '21' features on the History Channel and more... More » |
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