P. J. Moriarty | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1907–1909 Anascaul,County Kerry, Ireland |
| Died | (1977-12-30)December 30, 1977 (aged 68 or 69) New York City |
| Occupation | Restaurateur |
| Years active | 1948–1977 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | U. S. Coast Guard |
| Rank | Chief petty officer |
| Conflict | World War II |
Patrick John Moriarty (1907–1909 – December 30, 1977) was an Irish-born American restaurateur. In 1929, he emigrated to the United States fromAnascaul,County Kerry, Ireland, and settled in New York City. After working in the restaurant industry and serving in theUnited States Coast Guard duringWorld War II, Moriarty opened his first restaurant,P. J. Moriarty's, in 1948. He eventually owned several restaurants bearing his name inMidtown Manhattan,Turtle Bay, and across the street fromPenn Station. His restaurants, which served dishes such as steaks, chops, and stews, were popular withthe Rockettes, journalists likeHal Boyle andBob Considine, the cartoonist and animatorWalt Kelly, and Irish politicians. Moriarty gained national fame in 1955, when he was caught placing a fake fire hydrant in front of his building to prevent parking after a police patrolman noticed that the hydrant had disappeared after he had ticketed a car for parking next to it. Moriarty died in 1977, aged 68 or 69. His final restaurant closed in 1981 or 1982; the building was purchased byDonald Trump and demolished to make way forTrump Plaza.
Moriarty was born between 1907 and 1909[1][2] inAnascaul,County Kerry, Ireland, and raised on a farm.[3] According to theAssociated Press correspondent Hugh A. Mulligan, Moriarty was "craggily handsome with dark bushy eyebrows" and he "resembled a bit player playing a publican in aJohn Ford movie, except he had theGeorge Burns knack of holding a cigar in a lordly fashion, which made him like any of the manyTammany Hall aldermen who frequented his establishment".[3]
In 1929, Moriarty emigrated to the United States and settled in New York City, where he worked as abellboy and a bartender. He served as a chief petty officer in theUnited States Coast Guard duringWorld War II, during which time he learned the food service industry as acommissary worker.[1][2]
In 1948, Moriarty opened P. J. Moriarty's at 47 West 51st Street, betweenFifth andSixth avenues. A few years later, Moriarty opened a second location on Sixth Avenue.[3][4] Over the course of his career, Moriarty owned several restaurants bearing his name, including at 50 East 54th Street (betweenMadison andPark avenues), 1690 York Avenue, Third Avenue and 63rd Street, 1034 Third Avenue (at 61st Street),[1][2][5] and 33rd Street across fromPenn Station.[2]
According toThe New York Times, the original P. J. Moriarty's "resembl[ed] ... an old English chophouse" and served "sirloin steak, lamb stew, swordfish steak, and [featured an] extensive wine list".[1]The Times wrote that patrons "welcomed the ambiance—the 40-foot mahogany bar, the small tables with red cloths, the dim lights under originalTiffany shades, [and] the hunting pictures".[1] The restaurant was across the street from the stage door forRadio City Music Hall and became popular withthe Rockettes, who performed there.[1][2] It was also popular with Irish politicians, news reporters and journalists, such as theAssociated Press columnistHal Boyle andBob Considine, and the cartoonist and animatorWalt Kelly.[1][3]
The location at 1034 Third Avenue, which opened in 1958, featured a miniature version of theThird Avenue El train on the walls above the bar.[5] The bar also featured what Moriarty claimed was the first backwards clock so that news reporters could see the time in the mirror above the bar.[6][5] Like the original location, it served steaks and chops,[5] as well as Irish-American dishes likecorned beef and cabbage.[3]
Moriarty and his restaurants gained nationwide fame in 1955 after he was caught placing a fakefire hydrant in front of the Sixth Avenue location to prevent unwanted street parking blocking the entrance.[1][4][6] A patrolman with theNew York City Police Department discovered the fake after realizing that the hydrant had disappeared after he had ticketed a car for parking there.[6][7] Moriarty initially feigned ignorance of the fake hydrant but later admitted that he had paid $10 to the "property man" at Radio City Music Hall for the prop.[3][7] He told the press that "it worked better than a doorman".[7] The police "said they guessed it would be hard to fine a fellow for parking in front of a fire plug that wasn't a fire plug",[7] while Moriarty persuaded the chief magistrate judge to dismiss the ensuing charges against him upon his explanation that "it must have been theleprechauns".[1][3]
Moriarty died on December 30, 1977, aged 68 or 69.[1][2] At the time of his death, the P. J. Moriarty's location at 1034 Third Avenue was the last open.[6] Moriarty's wife and his brother continued to operate the restaurant until it closed in late 1981 or early 1982, when the property was purchased byDonald Trump, who demolished the building to buildTrump Plaza.[6][5] At the time, local small property owners interpreted the restaurant's closing "as the disappearance of one of the last vestiges of an 'old' Third Ave. that predated nationwide chains and big-money developers".[5]