The Cherry Street Tavern


The Cherry Street Tavern is a bar and restaurant at 22nd and Cherry Streets in the Logan Square neighborhood of Philadelphia. It is notable as a local landmark that has operated in the same location since the early 1900s. The bar was owned for some years by local football legend John "Tex" Flannery, until he sold it to brothers Bill and Bob Loughery in 1990.

History

The tavern was first licensed as a bar in 1905. During Prohibition, the bar itself was removed from the building and replaced with a barber's chair, and the tavern was transformed into a barber shop, although men went there for more than a haircut. At the time, women had to enter the tavern through the "ladies' entrance," a rear door leading into a back room, as only men were allowed into the bar room.
A disused urinal trough runs along the base of the bar. At one time, patrons could drink, eat, and urinate in the same place.
Along with the regular clientele, the Cherry Street Tavern has attracted some celebrity customers, including basketball Hall-of-Famer Larry Bird, former heavyweight champion boxer Joe Frazier, actor Lee Majors, Philadelphia Flyers hockey player Scott Hartnell, and former Philadelphia Phillies' center fielder Gary Maddox.