Book Chapter 2- The Flat Iron Cafe

Resurrection of The Flat Iron Cafe

Saturday November 17 stands as a day of resurrection, so to speak. The grand reopening of the upstairs bar and restaurant area of the old Flat Iron Café was reopened after it was nearly destroyed by fire. Spirits and voices were raised in celebration of the event, like welcoming an old friend back from the dead. It could just as easily been a wake.

On Labor Day weekend this year, fire broke out in the restaurant’s main office. Investigation proved that the fire was electrical in nature and was confined to the second floor. Quick work by the Cleveland Fire Department saved the landmark from total destruction. Current owner Dan Brennan, vowed to rebuild and reopen as soon as possible and made good on his promise, reopening the first floor in just ten days, the upstairs just last Saturday night. The old café has proved to be as tough as its Irish heritage.

The place was paced wall to wall with the faithful. With glasses raised, the event kicked off the singing of the Star Spangled Banner and the Irish national anthem. Music was provided by Paul, Peggy and Richie of Brigid’s Cross. The music continued with the band playing traditional Irish pub tunes alonf with a good helping American rock and folk with an Irish accent. Then to assembled multitude was treated to a rendition of “The Oldest Swinger in Town” by Dick “the Rooster” Goonan, a great old guy that just happens to be Peggy’s father and as almost as much of a landmark in the community as the Flat Iron. The Guinness flowed, the music played, people sang at the top of their voices and as the night went on the toasts to the Flat Iron got louder and more frequent. I challenge you to find anyone who was there that didn’t have the best time of their life. No one left unhappy.

By the way, how many of you have seen a beer fountain? I suggest you catch the next performance of Bridig’s Cross and if you’re lucky, really lucky, you may get the chance. It’s quite spectacular, ‘nough said.

Of all the after work spots in the Warehouse District or the Flats, one stands out, the Flat Iron Cafe. This popular watering hole is an icon on the east bank of the Cuyahoga, famous for good food, good drinks, good music and, of course, good company. But, it also has a place in Cleveland history that few are aware of.

Established in 1910 and billed today as “The Oldest Irish pub in Cleveland” the Flat Iron is nestled in the shadow of the Detroit Superior Bridge on a part of the Cuyahoga known as Irishtown Bend. The bend is named for the Irish immigrants that settled in Cleveland on the river. These settlers fled their native land to make new lives for their families far away from the grip of the “Great Potato Famine” also known as “The Great Hunger.” From 1845 through 1850 they sailed from Ireland to America in what came to be known as “Coffin Ships,” emigrating to stay alive. Carved from a single piece of gray granite, a monument across the way from the Flat Iron commemorates the event:

To those who died.
To those who came and enriched our Cleveland Shores.

They worked in the factories and steel mills. They worked to overcome the poverty and repression that faced them everyday and tried to make better lives for their children than they ever had. The hard work paid off and can be seen in the strong Irish community of Cleveland today.

Remnants of Irish culture from that early neighborhood can still be seen. Among these, the most prominent is St. Malachi’s Church where many of today’s modern Irish worship weekly and as part of their St. Patrick celebration. The simple but elegant church is perched on the hill atop flat just above the Flat Iron. If you look closely, you can still find shamrocks in the ironwork of window gratings.

The Flat Iron is a true remnant of early Irish culture. It was a place where the people from the neighborhood could go for a little fun after a hard day’s work.

No one can say for sure how the Flat Iron got its name, but there are two popular schools of thought. The most common story is that the building is shaped like a flat iron when viewed from above. The other is that it resembles the Flat Iron Building in New York City.

Still as popular as ever with Cleveland’s after work crowd, the Flat Iron began life as a four-story hotel. The name of this hotel was also “The Flat Iron.” Public records reveal that the land on which it stands was surveyed before construction sometime in the mid 1800’s. In the late 1800’s the top two floors of the hotel were destroyed by a fire. After the fire, the first floor served as a blacksmith shop and the second as lodging for longshoremen and sailors plying the Great Lakes. Today, it remains a two-story structure.

According to John Wasner, the Flat Iron’s unofficial historian, when the building was turned into a café in 1910, the upper floor was still used as lodging by the sailors and, occasionally, by the families of the various owners over the years. The original owner was Pat Joyce. His decedents opened the Pat Joyce Pubs popular in Cleveland from the 1960’s through the 1980’s.

A number of Irish families have operated the Flat Iron over the years. Among these was Billy Chambers. Another was Jerry Coleman, who was also a tug boat captain on the Cuyahoga River. But one past owner in particular is credited with the menu that has made the Flat Iron famous and is still served today.

Izzy Cohen owned and operated the Flat Iron for more than twenty years. He was an irascible Jewish man who had a way with the preparation of corn beef. Many believe it was for this reason he was held in such high regard among his Irish patrons. In his day it was meat loaf and mashed potatoes on Monday, corned beef and cabbage on Wednesday, and Lake Erie yellow perch on Friday. Service in that day and age was cafeteria style. You got your tray, stood in line and Izzy himself would serve you a portion of whatever was on the menu that day according to your size.

In 1956 Izzy sold the Flat Iron to Larry Mills simply because he was “getting up in years” and wanted to get out of the old grind. However, the sale was conditioned on the fact that Izzy would stay on to prepare his famous corned beef on Wednesday and his fish recipe on Friday.

From the 1950’s through the 1970’s the café remained very popular with a diverse crowd. Everyone from longshoremen to pipefitters to steel workers and other tradesmen rubbed elbows with businessmen and other professionals who came from downtown for lunch, dinner or perhaps a shot and a beer. You never knew who you would be sitting next to and the tables were arranged end to end.

The 1980’s saw the revival of the Flats and with it came an influx of pleasure boaters and young, upwardly mobile types looking for nightlife. Local restaurant and nightclub owners responded. So, in the fall of 1988, the current owners of the Flat Iron closed down for renovation and remodeling.

The street level floor was cleaned up and the original 1910 bar was refinished and moved back to its original position from across the room. This was no small project as the bar is thirty feet long. Over the bar hangs a portrait of beloved bartender Bill Barrett, a fixture at the Flat Iron for forty-six years. After the renovation was completed, the new Flat Iron looked every bit the Irish Pub it was meant to be.

Enough of the old was mixed with the new to keep the charm and personality of the old café intact. The atmosphere is warm and friendly. The goal was to keep the café recognizable to the old customer while attracting the new. Gone was Izzy’s cafeteria style seating, replaced by raised dining area with table service. The original brick, more than a hundred fifty years old, of the building is mixed with warm woods to give a welcoming feel to the place. Large photos of the Flats in days gone, vintage Guinness posters and Irish proverbs festoon the wall. But, unless you read Gaelic, I challenge you to guess what the proverbs say. Take a seat at a traditional bar stool or a table by one of the large windows and watch the iron oar boats lumber by on the river. Enjoy a good meal. The menu was expanded, but Izzy’s old favorites remain and are still served throughout the week.

In addition to the excellent cuisine, spirits of the usual and the not so usual kind flow at the Flat Iron. Some customers say they have experienced some strange “goings on” at the pub. Yep, what self respecting Irish pub would be complete without having its own resident ghost? It hasn’t been proven whether the creature exists or not. After a visit, you’ll have to make up your own mind about it. Some people say they have photos of the beastie.

Today, the Flat Iron still serves its traditional fare, still has its spirits, natural or unnatural and hosts traditional Irish entertainment on Friday nights featuring the likes of Brigid’s Cross, Donal O’Shuaghnessy and Loch Erie. Also available are banquet facilities and a shuttle bus to transport groups around the downtown area and to and from major events around the city.

It’s been said that “The more things change, the more they stay the same. The Flat Iron Cafe is living proof of that. The café is not only a valuable part of Cleveland’s history, it is sure to be part of Cleveland’s future. She’s a tough old bird and hard to kill.

So come on down to the old Flat Iron located at 1114 Center Street. You can’t miss it, it’s right across the street from the swing bridge on the east bank of the Cuyahoga. Also, pay a visit to their website at http://www.flatironcafe.com to get the latest scoop on what happening.

Come for the food, come for the drink, or come for the history. But please do come.