Jimmy’s Corner

New York, New York

Field Note

Escaping tourists in a destination city usually requires driving out to the sticks to find a dive bar unsullied by interlopers from out of town. In New York City, somehow, finding a pure dive is as simple as heading to Times Square and turning two blocks uptown. Jimmy’s Corner, an almost inexplicably located dive bar just steps from one of the most overcrowded plots of land on Earth, somehow persists in a three-story building serving up $3 beers.

Opened in 1971 by fighter, cutman, trainer and gym manager James “Jimmy” Lee Glenn, Jimmy’s Corner is a dive bar shrine to boxing, complete with an appearance in Raging Bull. Glenn opened the New York City dive bar well before the gentrification of nearby Times Square, posting signs that read “No Unescorted Women” to keep away women of the evening and “No Hats Allowed” to keep out their “managers.”

Though the surroundings have evolved over the years, Jimmy’s Corner remains attached to the time period of its opening, the decorations largely untouched and even the prices about as unaffected as reasonably possible. Glenn owned nearby gym Times Square Boxing Club for 15 years before it fell victim to neighborhood “progress” in 1993. An amateur boxer with a record of 14-2, Glenn’s most prominent fight came in a decision loss to later heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson.

The photos that cover the Jimmy’s Corner interior feature a mix of photographed regulars and nods to Glenn’s boxing-rich life, including a framed shot of Muhummad Ali resting his fist on Glenn’s jaw. The photo collage extends to the bar counter and tables in back, where photos have been laminated into the tops of both surfaces. After losing wife and co-operator of the bar Swannie in 2015, Glenn passed away in 2020 due to complications from coronavirus.

Closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, Jimmy’s son Adam reopened the space in 2021. Little has changed, unsurprising given the fact that Adam balanced a law career with picking up shifts at Jimmy’s Corner for most of his adult life. Notably, the cash only policy has vanished, replaced with a $10 minimum for credit card transactions. Thankfully, the jukebox is intact, a mix of R&B and funk selections housed in the most old school of old school jukebox cabinets.

Underneath the trademark awning that extends well into the 44th Street sidewalk, Jimmy’s Corner is slender even by dive bar standards. Roughly 4 ceiling tiles wide, enough room exists in the bar’s entryway to house the bar counter, a row of stools and not much else. During busy times, drinkers line the wall opposite the bar, making for a challenging bit of navigation for new arrivals. Sammy Davis Jr., Robert De Niro, Michael Jordan and Frank Sinatra all at one time visited these cramped quarters.

Beyond the bar, a few steps lead to a slightly elevated back room that expands the square footage to roughly five ceiling tiles wide, home to a handful of tables and chairs that most times offer less hectic seating than the main room below. The posters and framed photos extend to this rear space, illuminated by wrought iron chandeliers providing a bit more light than the dimly lit front space that relies almost entirely on string lights perched behind the bar.

Supported by a landlord with a soft spot for Jimmy Glenn, Jimmy’s Corner has survived a few rounds of nearby building demolishment projects. Adam Glenn has said on a few occasions that the family is under no presumption that a three-story building steps from Times Square can endure forever, but little is likely to change in this oasis from inflated alcohol prices and hordes of tourists.