The Museum of the American Gangster was a two-room museum located at 80 St. Mark's Place in the East Village, Manhattan New York City. Opened in 2010, it was located upstairs from a former speakeasy in a neighborhood once frequented by Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, and John Gotti.[1] Its Exhibition of the American Gangster was "founded to preserve newspapers, photographs and other original documents from the Prohibition Era".[2] The museum's collection of memorabilia of organized crime in America includes John Dillinger's death masks,[3] bullets from the Saint Valentine's Day massacre investigation,[4] and a bullet from the shooting of Pretty Boy Floyd.[5] The former speakeasy[6] has a history of its own;[7] the speakeasy was run by Walter Scheib.[8] It was also possible to tour the old speakeasy.[9][10]
July 24, 2010 marked the twentieth anniversary of the release of Goodfellas. This milestone was celebrated with a private screening hosted by Henry Hill for a select group of invitees at the Museum of the American Gangster.[11]
Temporarily closed due to the COVID 19 pandemic, the museum announced in December 2021 that it was in danger of closing permanently if it lost the space it shared with Theatre 80.[12]
The museum was evicted together with Theatre 80 in 2023.
References
edit- ^ Berger, Joseph (November 18, 2010). "Tommy Guns and Other Crime World Curiosities". The New York Times. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
- ^ [1] Archived August 16, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Troy, Suzannah B. (June 8, 2010). "John Dillinger Death Mask The American Gangster Museum". New York Focus Blog – Zennie62. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
- ^ "NYC's Museum of the American Gangster – Intelligent Travel". Blogs.nationalgeographic.com. April 15, 2010. Archived from the original on April 19, 2010. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
- ^ Niemietz, Brian (July 25, 2010). "Hit parade". New York Post. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
- ^ "A New York Travel Guide". NewYorkology. February 18, 2010. Archived from the original on February 21, 2010. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
- ^ "NYC: The Museum of the American Gangster opens in a speakeasy – This Just In – Budget Travel". Current.newsweek.com. Archived from the original on October 3, 2011. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
- ^ Guides, Museyon (June 1, 2017). Historic Landmarks of Old New York. Museyon Inc. ISBN 978-1-938450-91-4. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ Cheney, Alexandra (March 8, 2010). "The Museum of the American Gangster Opens With a Bang in Old Speakeasy". Speakeasy blog - The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
- ^ [2] Archived August 16, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Goodfellas' Henry Hill Back in NYC for 20th Anniversary". WPIX-TV 11. July 24, 2010. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
- ^ Hughes, Bill (December 30, 2021). "A Theater Treasure of St. Marks Place Faces Closure". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 3, 2022.