One of Greenwich Village’s most iconic bars has finally found a suitable replacement.
Formerly Crow’s was a well-established bar in one of Greenwich Village’s oldest locations. Located at 85 Washington Place, the iconic location had been home to the neighborhood’s favorite bars since the 1920’s. Residents are likely to recognize the entryway, sunken into a recess on Washington Avenue, beckoning patrons deep into its historic hall. From 1993, the space operated as the popular bar and restaurant Stoned Crow, and was known as a regular haunt for residents and NYU students alike. In 2010, Stoned Crow sadly shut down, and the space was acquired by Marshall Mintz, who transformed the space into the Formerly Crow’s bar we now know today, with its signature white plaque on the door.
Sadly, no concept lasts forever in this city, and the space that was formerly Formerly Crow’s has since shuttered. Now though, a new owner has stepped in to acquire the space from Mintz and transform it into a brand new concept. Owner Thomas Pacchia is now set to reopen the space as a brand new concept called Pubkey. Pacchia is a New York based bitcoin and decentralized internet technology specialist. He was the Director of Blockchain Incubation at Fidelity Investments before he began his own company HODL Capital Management in 2017 with business partner Eric Voskuil.
Now, after years of successful cryptocurrency capital management, Pacchia is getting ready to open a brand new bar of his own. Taking over the Formerly Crow’s space, Pubkey is envisioned as a bar and tavern that will preserve much of the original layout of Formerly Crow’s. The location offers about 1,700 square feet of space in total, and features enough tables and bar chairs to seat about 49 guests at one time, with a maximum capacity of 113 guests. While the space has a kitchen and prep area, Pacchia has not yet outlined the type of fare he intends to serve at Pubkey. Stoned Crow was particularly beloved for its famous burger back in its heyday, so it will be exciting to see what Pacchia has planned for us in the new space.
As a bar and tavern, Pacchia needs a full liquor license in order to bring his project to life. He is currently meeting the community board to acquire the necessary license, and is proposing operating hours of 12:00 PM – 2:00 AM Sunday through Wednesday, and 12:00 PM – 4:00 AM Thursday through Saturday. For more information, you can follow Pubkey on Twitter as Thomas prepares the space for a grand opening later in the year.
