Barney Gallant’s Swinging Greenwich Village
Walking tour

You may not know the name Barney Gallant today, but in the early 20th century he was downright famous – at least in the Village. A Latvian immigrant who arrived in America in 1903, Gallant quickly injected himself into Village culture. He was Eugene O’Neill’s first roommate and the first New Yorker prosecuted under the Volstead Act for serving booze at his restaurant on Sheridan Square. His speakeasies were legendary, ritzy affairs that served exclusive clientele including party-loving Mayor Jimmy Walker. Join Esther Crain, writer of the popular blog Ephemeral New York and author of the upcoming hardcover The Gilded Age in New York, 1870-1910, for a walking tour tracing the life of this Village eccentric. Stroll the historic streets of the west side as you stop at the surviving locations of Gallant speakeasies Club Gallant and Speako de Luxe, his restaurant Greenwich Village Inn, his old Sixth Avenue apartment, and other spots of swinging Village nightlife.