[2] The location at 52nd Street, Manhattan, New York City, was one of a row of brownstones with clubs operating in basements.

[3][4] The club was owned by partners Matthew C. (Matty) Walsh (1914–2006) and Jimmy Ryan (1911–1963).

Gilbert J. Pincus (1907–1980) — who served as doorman from 1942 to 1962 at the original location and from about 1963 until his death in 1980 — became known as the "Mayor of 52nd Street".

[5][6][7] During the 1940s, three New York nightclubs stood out as centers for traditional style jazz: Jimmy Ryan's, Nick's in Greenwich Village, and Eddie Condon's just a few blocks away.

[8] Resident musicians from the 1940s Sunday jam sessions, organized and managed by Milt Gabler