Frat Bar To Replace Allen & Delancey?

by BILLY GRAY · April 28, 2010

    It seems that every time East Village and Lower East Siders cheer the exit of one frat bar (Superdive, Blue Seats), another is waiting in the wings (Doghouse, Hurricane Billy's). A tipster tells us the cycle is about to continue, as a Murray Hill veteran looks to snap up the shuttered Allen & Delancey. Says our source:

    "I hear that Matt Shandell is trying to open up a high end sports bar aka a frat house at the 115 Allen Street space (formerly Allen & Delancey). Matt Shandell owner of Proof, The Ainsworth, and The Hill - he knows Murray Hill, but doesn't know the Lower East Side at all. With Blue Seats going out of business recently, why would this work?"

    Excellent question. And it gets worse:

    "I also hear he is going to apply for a 4am liq. license, and really turn the place into a night club, and LES frat house. I personally live in the LES and do not want to see a frat house type bar in the Lower East Side."

    Allen & Delancey was a pretty reserved spot, so it's tough to imagine Community Board 3 welcoming this proposal with open arms. Then again, recent head-scratching approvals and denials mean anything is possible. Anyone care to bet how long it takes for a Joshua Tree outpost to land below Houston Street?