Hank's Saloon was the mother of all Brooklyn dive bars. Occupying an unassuming, single-story building on Atlantic Avenue in Boerum Hill, the space had operated as a bar in one form or another since 1904.
The Hank's we know and love opened in 2000, when its owner, Dave Sheeran, painted red flames on the outside and renamed it after a favorite country singer. In 2018, Hank's was forced to close after a new owner made plans to raze the building and develop the lot—but what happened during the time in between is the making of legends.
On Wednesday night, Freddy's Bar in South Park Slope brought back the magic of pre-gentrification Brooklyn dives, hosting a sold-out screening of a new documentary about Hank's. Former bar regulars gathered as they would for an Irish wake, to get drunk and reminisce about the good times they all had together.
Jeannie Talierco, longtime Hank's bartender and the star of "Hank's Saloon," slung drinks from behind the bar and, at 79 years old, still had a lot of spring in her step—she still bartends, at the American Legion Post on 9th Street in South Slope, on Sundays and some Fridays. Many of those in attendance came for the nostalgia of seeing Jeannie—a beloved figure at Hank's—behind the bar once more, and to try to conjure the grit of a bygone Brooklyn.
After bartending for two hours, Jeannie joined a standing-room-only crowd in Freddy's back room to view the documentary, which chronicles the history and last days of Hank's. The location was appropriate; in 2010, the original Freddy's building was demolished to build the Barclays Center. In essence, these were two great former dive bars recreating their community spirit together, and Hell Gate was there to capture the magic.
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