New owner takes over troubled Bridge bar

Posted

Correction and clarification appended.

The Bridge Tavern at 5757 Broadway, which officially closed down earlier this year, is under new management. The owner plans to name it Madden’s Uptown Bar and Grill.

The new proprietor, Patricia Murray, and a man who gave his name to The Press as Prince appeared before Community Board 8’s Public Safety Committee on Sept. 17 to make a presentation about plans for the bar.

Ms. Murray said Madden’s will be an extension of a bar that she already owns in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx. Prince said he owns several delis in Hunts Point.

The two said they want to make serious changes to the tavern’s current state with several renovations.

“It’s going to be exactly the opposite of the old owner,” Prince, who did not give a last name, said via text message. “If you go by the bar, it’s going to be a brand new bar, with complete renovation.”

Neighbors regularly complained of excess noise from the bar, according to Joe O’Brien, the interim chair of the Public Safety Committee.

“There were a couple of stabbings there, one inside and one outside if I recall,” he said. “The [New York State Liquor Authority] just showed up one night and took away their license.”

In 2012, 26-year-old Anthony Ramirez died after a brutal fight outside the bar.

Prince said he wants to try as hard as possible to separate the bar from the previous ownership and make Madden’s a much more neighborhood-friendly institution.

“We want to make the neighborhood glow. That means we will make sure that the spot stays as clean as it could be,” he said. “We want to make the community feel as much welcome as possible because we are there to stay.”

CB 8 asked Madden’s to close at 2 a.m. during its first year in operation. After initially objecting, the owner eventually agreed to the request, according to Mr. O’Brien.

“If that goes well, you go back to whatever you want or whatever the law allows,” Mr. O’Brien said.

Prince said that he and Ms. Murray want to do their best to foster a good, long-lasting relationship with residents. 

Bridge Tavern, Patricia Murray, Madden’s, Fenwick’s, Anthony Capote
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