Our tears over Milady's have barely dried and now it's time to begin sobbing anew for another downtown institution. SoHo's Broome Street Bar, which has held court on Broome Street and West Broadway since 1972, has been sold for a cool $12 million, reports the Post. The building has apparently been bought by one Jon Krasner, who has ties to Midtown's and Sag Harbor's Harlow restaurants. According to an in-the-know source, Krasner plans to "create a fabulous new Soho restaurant and bar in the spirit of the Soho institution."
There were rumors of the bar's demise back in February following the death of owner Kenn Reisdorff, though at the time an employee told us there were no plans to change the business. The bartender we spoke to this afternoon echoed the same notion, saying he "hadn't heard anything" but hoped the story would stay the same as it was earlier this year.
The bar had been operated by Reisdorff since 1972—it's also known as Bob & Kenn's—when it was frequented by artists like Robert Mapplethorpe. In its previous life, the building had operated as a German beer hall and "house of ill repute" since its erection (sorry) in 1825. If and when the bar does shutter, it sounds unlikely that Reisdorff's original carpentry and furniture will be part of the "fabulous" new plan.
