Owney Geoghegan's Boxing Saloon

—105 Bowery —

You are standing in front of what was once George Geoghegan's Saloon, NYC's most notorious bare knuckle boxing saloon. An Irish-born street-slugger-turned-professional boxer, Geoghegan (pronounced gay-gen), used his fame and earnings from the ring to open this "sporting" house which allowed drunken brawlers - and even women - an opportunity to duke it out for cash prizes in the 12-foot boxing rings on each of its two floors. Frequented by prostitutes and pickpockets, and known for its "gorilla-like waiters" and 10 cent raw whiskey, one reporter referred to it as a "carnival of debauchery."
No stranger to violence, Geoghegan was involved in at least two shootings at this location. Though one incident resulted in the murder of a patron, the former boxing champion skirted all charges because of his political affiliations. Geoghegan's was closed down in 1883 after it was discovered that children as young as ten-years old were frequenting the bar. Owney served a short time in prison for the offence, and died a short time later, in 1885, of natural causes. This Renaissance Revival building later housed the Windsor Dime Museum, and the Bowery Mission from 1887, until destroyed by fire in 1898.
- Eric Ferrera, author of The Bowery and founder of the Lower East Side



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