The Old Grapevine was a

tavern A tavern is a type of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that ...

in the

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...

neighborhood of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

at the southeast corner of

Sixth Avenue Sixth Avenue, also known as Avenue of the Americas, is a major thoroughfare in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The avenue is commercial for much of its length, and traffic runs northbound, or uptown. Sixth Avenue begins four blocks b ...

and 11th Street. The tavern was located in a three-story roadhouse built in the 18th century and was originally called the Hawthorne. It was later named after a grapevine that grew on one of its walls. It was a hangout for artists, actors, businessmen, lawyers, Confederate spies, and Union officers. The high concentration of Civil War Soldiers made it an ideal place to hear (or plant) military gossip, leading some to believe the idiom "heard it through the grapevine" originated here. The nearby Jefferson Market Courthouse attracted many politicians including U.S. President

Chester A. Arthur Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was the 21st president of the United States, serving from 1881 to 1885. He was a Republican from New York who previously served as the 20th vice president under President James A. ...

who visited the tavern many times. It was demolished in 1915.

References

Drinking establishments in Greenwich Village Buildings and structures demolished in 1915 1915 disestablishments in New York City {{Manhattan-stub