NOW

In 2019, Brandy’s Piano Bar celebrated its 40th anniversary, but, according to owner, Jim Luzar, “This was a bar for many decades prior to us.” Its prehistory was discovered during renovations, when paintings of the previous bar were found within a plywood partition. Legend has it that someone needed to pay off his bar tab, so he painted four wood panels depicting Brandy’s. The style is the 1930s, leading people to believe that this was a bar during Prohibition. The lights on the ceiling are the original gas lamps, just electrified now.

What makes Brandy’s stand out today among New York piano bars is that everyone who works at Brandy’s is a performing artist - many with Broadway credits. Some have been singing here for over 25 years. Each night the piano player rotates, giving people the opportunity to listen to anything from Broadway hits and classic piano tunes to top forty music.

Decorating the back wall is an assortment of signed posters from New York professional productions featuring ex-Brandy’s employees. Though many of them move on to roles on and off-Broadway, some continue to return to the piano bar to enjoy the ambiance once more.

THEN

Built in 1907, and replacing 3-story brownstones, 235 East 84th Street was designed by Canadian architect George F. Pelham. The 6-story tenement was constructed in brick with detailed stone enframements and lintels. Colored brickwork creates the illusion of stone quoins and columns on the facade. Pelham was a prominent architect in New York, specializing in large apartment buildings that proliferated around the city in the early 20th century. Aside from ground-floor alterations, the building remains mostly unaltered.