Madonna endorses Baz Luhrmann's new East Village bar Monsieur on 4th Street

Monsieur is now open at 86 E. Fourth St., just east of Second Avenue, in the old Boiler Room space. 

The bar is reportedly owned and operated by the acclaimed Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann ("The Great Gatsby," "Elvis" and "Moulin Rouge!"), his Academy Award-winning production designer wife, Catherine Martin, and Golden Age Hospitality (The Nines, Le Dive, Acme, and Deux Chats). 

In its first week, Madonna endorsed the establishment in an Instagram carousel featuring Luhrmann, Akeem Morris, Jeremy O. Harris, and others. Per the post: "When you're feeling down, go to Monsieur."

 

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Vogue had a sneak preview of Monsieur in an online post on Jan. 16: 

When touring the space — formerly gay club The Boiler Room — Luhrmann spied a stained glass window. It was a lightbulb moment. He and Martin were in the throes of visual research for their upcoming film, Joan of Arc, visiting castles in Cologne and studying suits of armor. What if the bar took the form of a gothic medieval lair meets rock-and-roll club? 

And so, the fictional namesake proprietor of Monsieur was born: a man of the Middle Ages, who, like Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray, mysteriously never ages as he moves through the centuries adopting various personas until he becomes a nightlife impresario. "This was given to Monsieur when he first started out in a foreign country to remind him that he was a bellhop," Luhrmann says, pointing at a bellhop figurine. "Even though he tells people vaguely that he’s from royalty, he knows that he was a bellhop." 

Next, Martin got to work to distill that sprawling vision into a series of rooms. She sourced Jacobean revival chairs from Chairish and 1stDibs. She found modern-day tapestry makers. She even discovered a sculptor named Cardboard Dad on Instagram and commissioned him to make a cardboard suit of armor, which she then put in an aquarium case. ("It was going to be a real aquarium with armor and jellyfish," says Luhrmann, who believes Monsieur also had a previous stint as a pirate. Martin gently pointed out the impracticality and suggested this as an alternative — "I love it darling, brilliant, but absolutely impossible to do," Luhrmann says she told him.) 

She crafted cabinets of curiosity and commissioned an artist to make a stained glass window where the aforementioned pet chimp Thibault reads The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. Meanwhile, Neidich collected photographs by New York nightlife legend Dustin Pittman to hang on the walls. Then he developed the menu. It includes shrimp cocktail, jamon iberico, grilled cheese, and (fittingly) croquettes monsieur with osetra caviar. 

Luhrmann's involvement with the new bar surprised a few residents we talked to after the Vogue piece came out. For the record, no one was particularly upset by this — just curious about what the clientele would be like and how scene-y it would be even though Luhrmann told Vogue "we're not naturally incl,ined towards hanging out with the establishment." (Still, Madonna arriving the other night in a black town car to a menu of croquettes monsieur with osetra caviar, served in a space dubbed a "medieval lair," doesn't exactly scream "neighborhood spot" for the locals.)

After 30-plus years as a dive-y neighborhood bar with a pool table and jukebox, The Boiler Room closed last April ahead of a move to a new space on Second Avenue. (Management said the building's landlord at No. 86 had them in a two-plus-year court battle over pandemic-related back rent payments.) 

Golden Hospitality's Jon Neidich and Craig Atlas received Community Board 3's approval for a new liquor license for the address in January 2024. The questionnaire on the CB3 website includes a letter from Neidich describing the still-unnamed venue this way: "In terms of concept, we are looking to create a great neighborhood spot which welcomes guests of all orientations and genders, and like Boiler Room is welcoming to all." There wasn't any mention of Luhrmann's involvement at this time. 

Golden Age Hospitality is renovating Lucy's at 135 Avenue A for its next EV project. In a letter to the local block association, Neidich told them that their "involvement is solely premised on preserving an East Village institution: Lucy herself will very much still be a part of this project (and will still be behind the bar!). We will not be changing the concept or design of the space (we will be adding some soundproofing in the ceiling and an ADA bathroom)."

A look at the new home of the Boiler Room on 2nd Avenue

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

The Boiler Room opened several weeks ago in its new home at 45 Second Ave. between Second Street and Third Street. 

After nearly 30 years in operation, the no-frills LGBTQ+ bar at 86 E. Fourth St. near Second Avenue closed this past April. Management said the building's landlord at No. 86 had them in a two-plus-year court battle over pandemic-related back rent payments. 

Fortunately, they found a space nearby, and we stopped by on Monday, just after the bar opened for the day.

Laney the bartender was on duty...

Amazingly, the space looks pretty much the same as the old Boiler Room location, only cleaner and without that 30-year-old bar aroma.

The downstairs space has yet to be opened, but they hope to have it in use soon for private parties and events.

The bar is open from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday, with a 4 a.m. close on Thursdays through Saturday. Find them on Instagram here. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Iconic gay dive bar the Boiler Room is closing later this year ahead of a move to a new East Village space

The all-new Boiler Room announces itself on 2nd Avenue

The window lettering is up now for The Boiler Room at its new home, 45 Second Ave. between Third Street and Second Street. (Thanks to Garth for the photo!) 

According to The Boiler Room's website, they hope to be open for Pride Weekend. 

After nearly 30 years in operation, the no-frills LGBTQ+ bar closed this past April at 86 E. Fourth St. near Second Avenue.

Management said the building's landlord at No. 86 had them in a two-plus-year court battle over pandemic-related back rent payments. 

As for the new address, the space will include the well-worn bar from Fourth Street.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Iconic gay dive bar the Boiler Room is closing later this year ahead of a move to a new East Village space

Iconic East Village gay bar Boiler Room has closed ahead of move to a new location on 2nd Avenue

After nearly 30 years, the Boiler Room has closed (as of last week) at 86 E. Fourth St. near Second Avenue.

As previously reported, the no-frills LGBTQ+ bar is relocating around the corner to 45 Second Ave. between Third Street and Second Street...

The bar's Facebook page states that the new Boiler Room will open at the end of May in the space that was previously Timbuktu. 

According to management, the building's landlord at 86 E. Fourth St. had them in a two-plus-year court battle over pandemic-related back rent payments. A judge ruled in favor of the landlord, who requires a lump-sum payment without negotiations for current and future rent. 

Part of the new outpost will look familiar: Management said they were taking the well-worn bar from Fourth Street with them.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Iconic gay dive bar the Boiler Room is closing later this year ahead of a move to a new East Village space

Le Dive owners looking to take over the Boiler Room space on 4th Street

File photo by Stacie Joy

Restaurateur Jon Neidich, under his Golden Age Hospitality brand that includes the scene-y Le Dive on Canal, is applying for a new liquor license for 86 E. Fourth St. just east of Second Avenue — and the current home of longtime dive the Boiler Room.

On Monday evening, the Golden Age Hospitality reps will appear before CB3's SLA committee.

As for the unnamed new concept for No. 86, there will be food service with various sandwiches (turkey club, BLT, croque monsieur, etc.) and cocktails, according to the sample menu on the questionnaire here. The configuration shows 21 tables for 42 guests (with plans to use the unenclosed roadway space from 5-10 p.m.) The proposed hours are daily from 5 p.m. to 4 a.m.

After a two-plus-year court battle over pandemic-related back rent payments, the Boiler Room announced last summer that it was leaving its home of 34 years ... ownership will be moving to 45 Second Ave. between Second Street and Third Street (previously home to the Moroccan specialty shop Timbuktu) later this year.

Monday's meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. Find the Zoom link here. This is a hybrid meeting, and there is limited seating available for the public — the first 15 people who show up at the Community Board 3 Office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.  

Iconic gay dive bar the Boiler Room is closing later this year ahead of a move to a new East Village space

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

After 34 years at 86 E. Fourth St. near Second Avenue, the Boiler Room will likely be closing by the end of the year, management confirmed to EVG. (H/T Queer Happened Here.) 

However, there are plans to relocate the popular gay dive bar a short distance away to 45 Second Ave. between Second Street and Third Street. More on that later in the post.

According to management, the building's landlord had them in a two-plus-year court battle over pandemic-related back rent payments. A judge ruled in favor of the landlord, who is requiring a lump-sum payment — without any negotiations for current and future rent. 

Bar manager Randy Weinberg, whose brother Neil is the Boiler Room's owner, said they have a lease until September, with a month-to-month arrangement through the fall and, perhaps January, until the new space is ready.

Here's a look inside the space, which New York magazine described as a "friendly, unobtrusive, post-gay gay bar that helped put the queer East Village bar scene on the map."

The bar is collecting signatures of support for a new liquor license for the currently vacant 45 Second Ave., which was previously home to the Moroccan specialty shop Timbuktu.

At least one element of the new space will look familiar: Randy Weinberg said they'll take the well-worn bar with them...