[2][3][4][a] The aged artwork, newspaper articles covering the walls, sawdust floors, and the Irish waiters and bartenders give McSorley's an atmosphere reminiscent of "Olde New York".

McSorley's is one of the longest continuously operating ale houses in the city as during Prohibition it served a "near beer" with too little alcohol to be illegal.

[8] McSorley's has long claimed that it opened its doors in 1854; however, historical research has shown that the site was a vacant lot from 1860 to 1861.

[citation needed] A 1913 article in Harper's Weekly declares that "This famous saloon ... is sixty years old.

"[10] According to a 1995 New York Times "Streetscapes" article by Christopher Gray,[1] the census taker who visited the Irish-born McSorley in 1880 recorded the year the founder of the pub first arrived in the United States as 1855, but immigration records show that he arrived on January 23, 1851, at the age of 18,[11] accompanied by Mary McSorley, who was 16.

[8] Founding owner John McSorley passed daily management to his son, William, around 1890, and died in 1910 at the age of 87.

[14][15] A 1954 New York City tourist guide describes McSorley's as, "An unusual and historic old tavern, little changed since established before Civil War.

[24] Notable people who have visited McSorley's include Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Teddy Roosevelt, Boss Tweed, Harry Houdini,[25] Jackie Gleason (who reportedly wrote "where are all the dames" in the bar's logbook),[26] and John Lennon.

[27][28][29] Cultural icons such as Woody Guthrie, Hunter S. Thompson,[30][31] Brendan Behan,[30] Paul Blackburn, LeRoi Jones,[30] Christopher Morley,[32] Gilbert Sorrentino,[30] and George Jean Nathan, frequented the tavern.

[30] Folk singer/guitarist Dave Van Ronk used photos of himself outside the doors for album covers, and Wavy Gravy read poetry there.

According to Mitchell, the Ashcan school painters John Sloan, George Luks and Stuart Davis were all regulars.

John McSorley instructed that his favorite chair be draped with a black cloth every April 4 following Cooper's 1883 death.